Counting recent UFC heavyweight pickup Danylo Voievodkin among those who jumped out before fighting.
The UFC and Combat Sports Anti Doping (CSAD) tested positive for meldonium, a constant banned substance. The obstacles to this test came after Dana White’s victory in the contender series. He throws Bailey Schoenfelder in 73 seconds to claim a UFC contract. As a result, Voievodkin was handed a two-year suspension from the competition. With each MMA fight, he was subsequently released by the organization.
Because of the nature of the material, it was taken after the victory of the DWCS, the CSAD issued a full-length two-year ban. There was no therapeutic use to exempt it, and CSAD did not show that Voievodkin cooperated with the investigation to reduce his sentence. Meldonium is used to treat heart conditions, but there is no indication that Ukraine is suffering from any of them because it requires its use. The drug has been commonly used by athletes who are used in the Olympics and tennis for decades in the regions of Russia and the former Soviet Republic.
The CSAD statement reads as follows:
“Combat Sports Anti Doping (CSAD) today announced that Danylo Voievodkin of Fastiv, Kyiv Oblast, in Ukraine, has accepted a 24-month ineligibility in violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP).
“Voievodkin tested positive for the presence of the constantly banned meldonium of the UFC-banned list hormone classes and metabolic modulators from a competitive sample collected from him on October 17, 2024. In the UFC contract, he used meldonium after being mounted in the UFC’s Anti-Doping Program (UFC ADP) registered test pool.
“CSAD further determined that no mitigation factors were present in this case to ensure a deviation from the standard 24-month sanctions regarding the use of meldonium, a non-specific substance under UFC ADP.
“The 24-month suspension for Voievodkin began on November 10, 2024. This is the date he was placed under the interim suspension.”
