Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Irina
Alekseeva has been suspended for one year after testing
positive for testosterone more than a year ago.
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Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced the sanction while
taking a shot at the UFC’s previous anti-doping partner, USADA, in
a statement on Friday:
Alekseeva tested positive for values consistent with the
administration of testosterone of exogenous origin in a urine
sample collected by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on
June 21, 2023, while USADA was still the independent administrator
of the UFC’s Anti-Doping Program (UFC ADP). However, USADA failed
to report the results of this sample to her and to UFC until
October 31, 2023, more than four (4) months after the sample was
collected and AFTER Alekseeva was allowed to compete in a UFC event
in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 14, 2023. USADA collected two
additional samples from Alekseeva BEFORE her October 14, 2023,
fight, (August 8, 2023, and September 13, 2023) that were both
negative. It should be noted that when CSAD took over the
independent administrator role of UFC ADP from USADA on December
31, 2023, it requested additional, more specific testing of those
two samples that USADA had not. The results of this additional
testing facilitated by CSAD were negative. Alekseeva was also
tested by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) on October 14, 2023,
the date of her last UFC fight, and was negative. All three of
these subsequent negative samples were collected from Alekseeva
before she was informed of her June 21, 2023, positive sample.
While CSAD was not the independent administrator of the UFC ADP
during the above-described time period, CSAD recognizes the
importance of promptly reporting results on samples collected in
the months and weeks leading up to a UFC event BEFORE the event
takes place. CSAD also recognizes that positive results reported
out more than 4 months after a sample is collected, and where the
athlete is allowed to compete in a UFC bout in the interim, is
unacceptable.
Alekseeva dropped a unanimous decision against Melissa
Mullins at UFC Fight Night 230 in the aforementioned Oct. 14
bout. CSAD determined that Alekseeva would receive a reduced
sanction due to USADA’s failure to inform her of the positive test
as well as the fact that the fighter submitted three negative tests
before the adverse finding. According to the anti-doping
organization, that supported the notion that Alekseeva was not
regularly using testosterone. Additionally, Alekseeva and her team
were fully cooperative with the CSAD investigation.
The suspension is retroactive to Oct. 15, 2023 — one day after
Alekseeva faced Mullins at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As a result,
she will be eligible to compete on Oct. 15 of the current year.
However, the Russian could still face additional punishment from
the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Known as “Russian Ronda,” Aleeksa has compiled a 5-2 mark since
beginning her professional MMA career in 2019. She was victorious
in one appearance under the Bellator
MMA banner before signing with the UFC. Alekseeva secured a
first-round submission of Stephanie
Egger in her Octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 45 before falling to
Mullins.