UFC Light Heavyweight Accepts 10-Month USADA Suspension
UFC light heavyweight Jake Collier has received a 10-month United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension.
The suspension occurred after Collier declared the use of a product that contained a prohibited substance, which he subsequently tested positive for. The substance Collier tested positive for was Higenamine, which was discovered in an out-of-competition drug test sample provided on December 27th. USADA released the following on the matter:
“Research indicates that Higenamine may act as a general stimulant and may be found in some pre-workout, energy, or weight-loss products. Even low-risk supplements may be riskier than they appear. As such, USADA reminds athletes to check supplement labels for Higenamine (also known as norcoclaurine) or Higenamine plant-based sources (Aconite, Annona squamosal, Nandina domestica, Tinospora crispa, and others).
“USADA determined that Collier was eligible for a reduction to the otherwise standard one-year period of ineligibility due to his cooperation throughout the results management process and forthright declaration of the supplement on his doping control form.”
The 30-year-old light heavyweight fighter released the following statement on Twitter:
“To my fans and supporters,
“I just wanted to touch base with you after the news has been announced of my sanction. First of all, I would NEVER purposely put any illegal substance in my body to gain a competitive edge. I’d rather lose than cheat.
“Returning from a surgery after an injury in my last fight, I went out to the local supplement store and purchased a pre-workout that was recommended by their staff that I have worked with previously.
“Unfortunately, there was a substance in the product that was listed on the label and on the USADA prohibited list that we were unaware of. For that simple mistake, I have accepted a 10-month suspension.
“During this process my wife and I have already taken action in learning the proper system to research produce names and ingredients. This has been quite a learning lesson and I take full responsibility for my mistake and apologize.
“Thank you to my team, my management @EmpireSM, Donna Marcolini and Jeff Novitzky with UFC for their continued support. I can’t wait to get back to work in the octagon.””
Collier’s last Octagon appearance resulted in a unanimous decision victory over Marcel Fortuna. That was in November of 2017. Collier has not competed since. His suspension runs until October 27th, at which point he’ll be eligible to return to action.
