UFC heavyweight Mohammed Usman has been handed a 30-month ban after testing positive for testosterone, a ruling that will sideline the fighter in mid-2028 and marks a major setback at a crucial point in his career.
Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced the suspension on Friday.
CSAD said Usman admitted to using testosterone ahead of his scheduled fight with Valter Walker, along with banned peptide BPC-157 earlier in 2025. The positive test ultimately led to Usman withdrawing from the fight.
“While Usman ultimately took responsibility for the above details,” CSAD said in a press release.
“He did not do so in a timely manner until CSAD confronted him with evidence they had independently collected during a detailed investigation into his use of these multiple banned substances and his attempt to deceive CSAD with a false statement.”
The result was the standard two-year suspension, with an additional six months due to what the CSAD called “aggravating factors.”
“If a UFC athlete uses multiple means as Usman did and engages in deceptive or obstructive conduct to avoid adjudication of an anti-doping policy violation, as he did, then aggravating circumstances have been found to exist,” the statement said.
“Although aggravating factors could double a standard suspension because Usman ultimately admitted to the prohibited conduct, CSAD determined that an addition of six months to the standard two-year suspension for use of these substances was appropriate for these aggravating factors.”
Usman (11-4) was coming off a decision victory over Hamdy Abdelwahab last June before accepting the match with Walker. The younger brother of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, he is a former Division I defensive end at the University of Arizona who pursued an NFL career before eventually transitioning to MMA.
#UFC #heavyweight #Mohammed #Usman #suspended #months #testosterone