UFC welterweight Dequan Townsend has been handed a six month suspension after testing positive for metabolites of cocaine and fentanyl.
Dequan Townsend’s UFC debut did not go to plan, as he fell to Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC on ESPN 3 last year. That loss has now been compounded by a six month suspension handed down by USADA, after a positive test for cocaine. USADA announced the sanction Wednesday via press release.
In Townsend’s case, he tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, and norfentanyl, a metabolite of fentanyl and its derivatives, in an in-competition test administered at UFC on ESPN 3 in Minneapolis, MN. Both substances in question are considered Substances of Abuse under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and the UFC Prohibited List, per USADA’s release.
The anti-doping agency also noted that “Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, athletes may receive a reduced sanction for Substances of Abuse if they can establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the violation did not enhance, and was not intended to enhance, the athlete’s performance in a Bout and they subsequently complete a drug rehabilitation program.”
Townsend, 33, is 19-9 as a pro. His suspension has been backdated to June 28, 2019, the date of his positive test. Meaning that in essence, he’s almost free to return to competition. He’s currently linked to a bout with Bevon Lewis at UFC Raleigh later this month.
