Tag: Dmitrii Smoliakov

Dmitrii Smoliakov turned out to be using performance-enhancing drugs in his quick defeat at the hands of Greg Hardy.

The pair of heavyweights fought earlier this year at UFC Sunrise with Smoliakov notably putting in a timid performance against the hard-hitting Hardy. In the end, the “Prince of War” came out on top, knocking the Russian out in just over two minutes.

But Smoliakov’s performance was so bad that UFC president Dana White even questioned his credentials as a fighter following the event. To make matters worse, it turns out he was on the juice as well.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Tuesday that Smoliakov had accepted a two-year sanction after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) and intact human chorionic gonadtrophin (hCG). rHuEPO notably “stimulates the body’s production of red blood cells, thereby increasing oxygen transport and aerobic power.”

The first test was out-of-competition on April 22 while the second was in-competition and administered on April 27. Smoliakov’s suspension is retroactive to the first date, which means he will be able to reapply for his license on April 22, 2021.

The post Greg Hardy Opponent Suspended For USADA Violations appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former Greg Hardy opponent, Dmitrii Smoliako, has once again been released by the UFC.

Smoliako had initially signed with the UFC as a heavyweight back in 2016. After two-straight first round losses, Smoliako was cut in 2017. After securing a first-round submission victory in Russia, Smoliako was brought back in to face former NFL star Greg Hardy in his second UFC bout.

Hardy finished Smoliako in the first round via TKO, in what was an extremely poor showing for the Russian. UFC President Dana White was very critical of Smoliako’s performance after the UFC Fort Lauderdale event:

“I’m not gonna say that I loved that fight,” White said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years. We don’t do set-up fights for anybody,” said White. “If I was a fan, and probably some of the media the way some of the media acts, I would think I don’t know who the f— that guy beat in nine fights, but I’d like to find out the nine guys he beat.

“Not to take anything away from Hardy. Hardy came in in great shape. Hardy doesn’t make fights. Me and my guys do. Hardy came in in better shape and he did what he had to do. He treated that guy like he was supposed to. A guy’s record is 9-2; I wanna see the nine guys he beat. You know what I mean? They might be in this room right now, actually.”

Following his knockout to Hardy, Smoliako has once again found himself cut by the Las Vegas-based promotion. The only three losses of his 12-fight career have all occurred under the UFC banner.

The post Former Greg Hardy Opponent Dmitrii Smoliakov Released From UFC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.