Gokhan Sarikham receives punishment for violating PFL Anti-Doping Policy https://t.co/U5STdxlebp
— USADA (@usantidoping)
July 11, 2024
Gokhan Sarikam’s 2024 Professional Fighters League campaign is over before it even began.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced on Thursday that Sarikham had failed two out-of-competition tests in April and May. The Turkish heavyweight boxer tested positive for clomiphene and related metabolites, which are prohibited in and out of competition under USADA and PFL rules. As a result, Sarikham was suspended for one year from competition beginning on April 29, when he first failed the test.
Salicam last competed under the Bellator MMA banner, having fought his past seven bouts under the Bellator MMA banner. Planning to enter the PFL heavyweight bracket, he was set to face Steve Mowry as a late-season addition. With Mowry withdrawing from the bout, Danilo Márquez took his place, but Salicam was subsequently removed from the bout for unknown reasons that turned out to have been flagged by USADA. Salicam returned to his win count with a decision victory over Daniel James in his last bout. He will be eligible to compete again at the end of April 2025.
The full statement from USADA is below:
USADA announced today that Belgium’s Gokhan Sarikham has received a one-year sanction for violating the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) anti-doping policy.
“Sarikham, 33, tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolites as a result of samples taken out of competition on April 29, 2024 and May 12, 2024. As Sarikham had not yet been notified of the positive tests after both samples were taken, they were treated as a single violation. Clomiphene is a scheduled substance in the class of hormone and metabolic regulators and is prohibited at all times under the PFL Anti-Doping Policy and the PFL Prohibited List.”
Salikam’s one-year suspension period began on April 29, 2024, the date his first positive sample was collected.”
