Jorge Gonzalez Suspended Two Years By USADA

Jorge Gonzalez was scheduled to make his UFC debut last month against Ike Villaneuva, but was pulled from that bout for undisclosed reasons.

It turns out that the reason that Gonzalez was pulled from the card was that he failed a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) issued drug test. Gonzalez was suspended for two years by USADA. He failed an out of competition drug test for stanozolol metabolites 16β-hydroxystanozolol and 4β-hydroxystanozolol, drostanolone metabolite 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17-one, and tamoxifen metabolite 3-hydroxy-4-methoxytamoxifen.

Gonzalez will be able to return to the UFC on August 5 of 2022, since the suspension is retroactive to the date of the drug test failure.The following press release was issued on the matter by USADA:

Jorge Gonzalez Villa Accepts Sanction for Violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policy

USADA announced today that Jorge Gonzalez Villa, of Mexico City, Mexico, has accepted a two-year sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.

Gonzalez Villa, 36, tested positive for stanozolol metabolites 16β-hydroxystanozolol and 4β-hydroxystanozolol, drostanolone metabolite 2α-methyl-5α-androstan-3α-ol-17-one, and tamoxifen metabolite 3-hydroxy-4-methoxytamoxifen as the result of a urine sample collected out-of-competition on August 5, 2020. Stanozolol and drostanolone are non-Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents, while tamoxifen is a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators. These substances are prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.

Upon being added to the UFC Anti-Doping Program, athletes are required to declare all medications and supplements they have used in the previous 12 months. An athlete who declares the prior use of a prohibited substance will not be deemed to have committed a violation but, depending on the substance, may be required to refrain from competition for a period of at least six months and provide at least two negative samples. Gonzalez Villa did not declare the use of stanozolol, drostanolone, or tamoxifen on his onboarding declaration forms.

As a result of his positive test, Gonzalez Villa was removed from a scheduled bout on August 22, 2020. Gonzalez Villa’s two-year period of ineligibility began on August 5, 2020, the date his positive sample was collected.

USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. In an effort to aid UFC athletes, as well as their support team members, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on the UFC Anti-Doping Program website (https:// UFC. USADA.org) regarding the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.

In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (https://UFC.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, and periodic athlete alerts. Many of the resources available to athletes are provided in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Japanese.

Along with education and testing, robust anti-doping programs enable investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers. USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by email at playclean @ usada.org, by phone at 1 877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253), or by mail.

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