Sean O’Malley Settles USADA Case, Accepts Six Month Ban

Sean O’Malley has finally been cleared to fight. The popular bantamweight hasn’t fought since March 2018 due to ongoing issues with USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency). He has now accepted a retroactive six month ban retroactive to Aug. 6, 2019, the date his positive sample was collected. That means he’ll be eligible to return after Feb. 6 and his scheduled fight with Jose Quinonez at UFC 248 in March is good to go.

In a statement USADA announced O’Malley had accepted a six month suspension and explained why his two new failed tests where being treated with such leniency.

“O’Malley, 25, tested positive for ostarine as the result of out-of-competition urine samples he provided on August 6, 2019 and August 12, 2019. His two positives, as well as additional positives collected after August 12, 2019, were treated as a single violation because the estimated concentration of ostarine in the urine samples was consistent with ingestion prior to August 29, 2019, the date O’Malley received notification of his second violation.

“In addition, the pattern of low urinary ostarine concentrations observed in multiple samples provided by O’Malley was consistent with exposure to ostarine as a contaminant.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

This has been an ongoing case since 2018, when O’Malley was pulled from UFC 229 due to a failed test. A six-month suspension followed, after serving his suspension he was booked to fight in July 2019 but was again pulled due to another doping violation. After agreeing to keep food logs, monitor his supplements and submit to extensive testing he has finally been cleared by the USADA.

The 25-year-olds return fight was recently moved from UFC 247 to UFC 248. This appears to have been in anticipation of a potentially longer suspension which never came. The rising star can now resume his career which he will have lost two years of when he step back in the octagon on March 7.