Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida’s future in the sport remains unclear after being issued his punishment by USADA.
Machida was pulled from his scheduled rematch against Dan Henderson at UFC on FOX 19 in April 2016 after admitting he used the prohibited substance 7-keto-DHEA. He tested positive for the same substance during an out-of-competition test on April 8 and has been subsequently handed an 18-month suspension by USADA.
The Dragon maintained he was unaware that the substance was on the banned list when he had taken it, despite the fact that it is listed under the anabolic agents section on WADA’s official website.
However, Machida’s admission and cooperation in the investigation meant that he received a reduced sentence, as a potential two-year suspension was on the cards for the drug test failure. The ban will be retroactive to the date of the offending test meaning he won’t be able to fight again until until October 8th, 2017. He’ll be 39-years-old by then.
Before the Hendo fight fell through Machida was riding a two-fight losing streak at the hands of Luke Rockhold (submission) and Yoel Romero (KO) respectively. His came by way of body kick TKO against C.B. Dollaway in December 2014.
