LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 24: Danylo Voievodkin of Ukraine reacts after his submission victory towards Bailey Schoenfelder in a heavyweight battle throughout Dana White’s Contender Collection season eight, week seven at UFC APEX on September 24, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Picture by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
2024 Contender Collection winner Danylo Voievodkin received’t be making his UFC debut this 12 months. Actually, he in all probability received’t be making it ever.
Voievodkin earned a shot on the huge present final 12 months, care of a rear-naked choke submission of the beforehand undefeated Bailey Schoenfelder on week seven of the collection. Nonetheless, on Thursday, the UFC, together with CSAD (Fight Sports activities Anti-Doping), who oversee the promotion’s Anti-Doping program, introduced that Voievodkin had been handed a two-year suspension after failing a drug check.
The Ukrainian, whose personal report sits at 7-0, examined optimistic for meldonium. If the identify rings a bell, it’s as a result of the drug was on the coronary heart of a wide-ranging doping scandal that hit the Russian Olympic crew, which additionally ensnared skilled athletes from Russia and neighboring international locations. Together with tennis star Maria Sharipova.
In 2022, the drug constituted 14 of 57 banned substance circumstances amongst Russian athletes – in response to the Russian Anti-Doping Company. Meldonium is just not utilized in North America, however is prescribed in Russia, the place it was developed, to deal with coronary coronary heart illness by growing blood circulate.
It doesn’t take a chemist to acknowledge the benefits elevated blood circulate may give an expert athlete. And, shockingly, it appears few skilled athletes within the prime of their careers really endure from coronary coronary heart illness.
That would come with Voievodkin, who’s simply 24. In response to CSAD, Voievodkin examined optimistic for the drug in an out of competitors pattern collected from him on October 17, 2024, in Vilnius, Lithuania. There have been no mitigating circumstances, which means the complete 24-month suspension for the drug applies, backdated to that date. “The evidence in this case reflected that sometime after Voivodkin competed in his Dana White Contender Series event in September of 2024, where he was awarded a UFC contract, he used Meldonium after he was onboarded into the UFC’S Anti-Doping Program’s (UFC ADP’s) Registered Testing Pool,” Thursday’s press launch reads.
Per a further report by MMA Combating, Voievodkin has been lower by the UFC.
