Former interim UFC light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux has received a six-month suspension from USADA. Saint Preux, who challenged for the title back in 2016, had a second violation for a banned substance.
Ovince Saint Preux Handed Drug Violation By USADA
Former interim UFC light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux has received a six-month suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Saint Preux failed a drug test for taking a banned substance, with this marking his second violation of the policy by USADA and UFC.
The suspension is retroactive to June 17 and will make him eligible December 17 to return.
Saint Preux tested positive for 3a-hydroxy-5aandrost-1-en17-one, which is a long-term metabolite of 1-Androstenedione and/or 1-Testosterone. The test results came from two samples between June 17 and July 11.
The 40-year-old fighter was previously suspended in 2019 when he tested positive for multiple banned substances from a contaminated supplement.
Saint Preux has fought 26 times overall for the UFC and is just 1-3 in his last four. He suffered a knockout loss to Phillipe Lins in February. OSP was scheduled to meet Ion Cutelaba in August before being pulled from the bout.
He picked up a split decision over former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua back in 2022 and also owns wins over Corey Anderson, Yushin Okami and a knockout of Rua.
Ovince Saint Preux USADA Statement
Below is part of the statement from USADA:
During an investigation into the circumstances of the positive test, Saint Preux provided a container of a product he was using for analysis at the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, the analysis revealed that the product contained 1-Androstenedione, consistent with the metabolite for which Saint Preux tested positive. USADA was able to independently obtain a sealed container of the product from the same lot number and confirmed it was also contaminated. This product has been added to the High Risk List.
Although Saint Preux was not using a Certified Supplement, he received a reduction to his period of ineligibility because he was able to prove that his positive test was caused by a contaminated product and the very low levels detected in the products would not have benefited his performance. Given that this was his second violation, an increased period of ineligibility from what he received for his first violation was appropriate.
