The woman known as the “Russian Ronda,” Irina Alekseeva, has been hit with a one-year suspension for a doping violation, but the circumstances surrounding her case remain murky.
On Friday, the CSAD (Combat Sports Anti-Doping), the body currently overseeing drug testing for the UFC, announced that Alekseeva (5-2) had been flagged for “the administration of testosterone of exogenous origin” and had accepted a 12-month suspension under the UFC’s Anti-Doping Policy.
The failed test in question took place on June 21, 2023, at which time the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was still in charge of the promotion’s anti-doping efforts. However, Alekseeva was able to compete at a UFC Fight Night event on October 14, 2023, nearly four full months later.
According to the CSAD statement, posted to UFC.com, “USADA failed to report the results of this sample to her [Alekseeva] and to UFC until October 31, 2023, more than four (4) months after the sample was collected and AFTER Alekseeva was allowed to compete in a UFC event in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 14, 2023.”
The reason for the delay in reporting is not cited; Cageside Press has issued a request for comment to USADA. In the meantime, it appears the CSAD ordered additional testing on two later drug test samples Alekseeva had submitted following the failed test, on August 8, 2023, and September 13, 2023. Both USADA, and the additional testing by CSAD, found those samples to be negative.
As a result of the late return of her test results, however, Irina Alekseeva was able to compete at a point she normally would have been unable to. And her suspension period has been adjusted as a result, with her period on ineligibility backdated to October 14 of last year, the date she last fought.
Delayed reporting, which hindered Alekseeva’s ability to produce evidence and recall facts, as well as her cooperation in the investigation and subsequent negative tests, factored into her eventual penalty, per CSAD.
Neither Alekseeva nor her team have commented on the matter publicly. The CSAD took over from USADA on December 31, 2023, with Drug Free Sport handling sample collection.
