Alex Gorgees accepts 16-month USADA suspension

MMAfighting.com

Former UFC lightweight Alex Gorgees has accepted a 16-month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for metabolites of a pair of banned substances, per a release Friday.

The 23-year-old Australian failed an in-competition drug test that was submitted on Dec. 2, 2018, in relation to his UFC debut against Damir Ismagulov at UFC Adelaide. Gorgee’s urine samplers came in positive for a metabolite of drostanolone and a long-term metabolite of dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), non-specified substances that are prohibited year-round under UFC Anti-Doping policy.

In further tests, Gorgees continued to test positive for both metabolites after providing samples on Dec. 10, 2018. A sample collected on Jan. 16, 2019, tested positive only for the DHCMT metabolite, specifically 4-chloro-18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl,17α-methyl-5α-androst-13-en-3α-ol (M3).

According to the release, Gorgees has already been released by the UFC and he “immediately came forward with detailed evidence of his use of prohibited substances before entering the UFC Anti-Doping Program and continued to cooperate throughout USADA’s investigation related to his use.” Gorgees received a reduction from the maximum two-year suspension for his cooperation.

Gorgees (7-1) lost his lone UFC bout by unanimous decision. He will be eligible to compete again on April 2, 2020.