A failed drug test forced Khalil Rountree outside of UFC 303But it won’t stay on the shelf for long.
Rountree was suspended for just two months as a result of testing positive for the anabolic steroid DHEA, UFC Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) anti-doping program announced Wednesday. Rountree was the first to announce his drug test failure and withdrawal last week.
According to CSAD, Rountree reported accidentally ingesting a blended supplement that contained DHEA. A May 4 sample tested by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) was consistent with Rountree’s claim.
Through documentation provided by Rountree, CSAD confirmed that a supplement company sent the fighter “therapeutic blend” products “without prior approval.” CSAD wrote that the supplement company owner called the error “a huge oversight on our part.”
“CSAD has determined that Rountree’s actions after he determined error and the evidence in this case meet these criteria and therefore CSAD is reducing the sanction against Rountree to 2 months,” CSAD said in a statement.
The doses ingested by Rountree are not believed to have any significant performance benefits, CSAD determined after consultation with SMRTL.
Because he had a June 29 fight scheduled against Jamahal Hill in Las Vegas, Rountree could face additional disciplinary action from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which plans to discuss the matter at an upcoming monthly meeting.
The disciplinary action taken marks the third since CSAD’s inception in early 2024. The program, led by former FBI agent George Piro, began after the UFC parted ways with longtime anti-doping partner USADA. Rountree joins Walt Harris and Khusein Askhabov as the three fighters flagged so far.
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