UFC’s Collier Suspended 10 Months For USADA Violation

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight contender Jake Collier has accepted a 10-month suspension from United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for the banned substance Higenamine.

The out-of-competition sample was collected on December 27, 2018, and according to Jake, the positive result was due to the fact that the banned substance was an ingredient in an over-the-counter supplement he was taking.

That said, Collier is taking full responsibility, though he is adamant he never purposely took the banned substance.

To my fans and supporters, I just wanted to touch base with you after the news has been announced of my sanction. First of all, I would NEVER purposely put any illegal substance in my body to gain a competitive edge. I’d rather lose than cheat. Returning from a surgery after an injury in my last fight I went out to the local supplement store and purchased a pre-workout that was recommended by their staff that I have worked with previously. Unfortunately, there was a substance in the product that was listed on the label and on the USADA’s prohibited list that we were unaware of. For that simple mistake, I have accepted a 10-month suspension. During this process my wife and I have already taken action in learning the proper system to research product names and ingredients. This has been quite a learning lesson and I take full responsibility for my mistake and apologize. Thank you to my team, my management, Empire Sports, Donna Marcolini and Jeff Novitzky with the UFC for their continued support. Can’t wait to get back to work in the Octagon.

Since Jake cooperated with USADA, his suspension was set at a reduced 10 months as opposed to the standard year, which means he will be able to return to action in October of this year. Collier holds a 3-3 record inside the Octagon and was last seen defeating Marcel Fortuna at UFC Fight Night 20 in November of 2017.