UFC heavyweight Mohammed Usman has been handed a 30-month suspension after testing positive for testosterone, a ruling that sidelines the fighter through the middle of 2028 and marks a major setback at a pivotal point in his career.
Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced the suspension on Friday.
CSAD said Usman admitted to using testosterone ahead of his scheduled fight with Valter Walker, along with the banned peptide BPC-157 earlier in 2025. The positive test ultimately led to Usman’s withdrawal from the bout.
“While Usman ultimately took responsibility for the above details,” CSAD said in a press release.
“He did not do so in a timely fashion and not until CSAD confronted him with evidence they had independently collected during a detailed investigation of his use of these multiple prohibited substances as well as his attempt to deceive CSAD with a false explanation.”
The result was the standard 2-year suspension with an added 6 months due to what CSAD called ‘aggravating factors’.
“If a UFC athlete uses multiple substances like Usman did and engages in deceptive or obstructive conduct to avoid the adjudication of an Anti-Doping Policy Violation like he did, then aggravating circumstances are determined to exist,” the statement read.
“While aggravating circumstances can double a standard suspension, because Usman ultimately admitted to the prohibited behavior, CSAD determined that a six-month addition to the standard 2-year suspension for using these substances was appropriate for these aggravating factors.”
Usman (11-4) was coming off a decision win over Hamdy Abdelwahab last June before accepting the matchup with Walker. The younger brother of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, he’s a former Division I defensive end at the University of Arizona who pursued an NFL career before ultimately pivoting to MMA.
