USADA announced today that Ovince Saint Preux, of Knoxville, Tenn., has accepted a six-month sanction for his second violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for a prohibited substance. Saint Preux received his first violation after testing positive for multiple prohibited substances from a contaminated supplement and served a three-month period of ineligibility beginning on October 25, 2019.
Saint Preux, 40, tested positive for 3α-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one (a long-term metabolite of 1-Androstenedione and/or 1-Testosterone) as the result of urine samples collected out-of-competition on June 17, 2023, and July 11, 2023. Because Saint Preux was not yet notified of his first positive test when his second test was collected, the two positive tests are combined into a single violation, as required under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.
During an investigation into the circumstances of the positive test, Saint Preux provided a container of a product he was using for analysis at the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, the analysis revealed that the product contained 1-Androstenedione, consistent with the metabolite for which Saint Preux tested positive. USADA was able to independently obtain a sealed container of the product from the same lot number and confirmed it was also contaminated. This product has been added to the High Risk List.
Although Saint Preux was not using a Certified Supplement, he received a reduction to his period of ineligibility because he was able to prove that his positive test was caused by a contaminated product and the very low levels detected in the products would not have benefited his performance. Given that this was his second violation, an increased period of ineligibility from what he received for his first violation was appropriate.
Saint Preux’s six-month period of ineligibility began on June 17, 2023, the date his first positive sample was collected.
USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, nonprofit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. In an effort to aid UFC athletes, as well as their support team members, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on the UFC Anti-Doping Program website (https://UFC.USADA.org) regarding the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.
In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (https://UFC.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List and periodic athlete alerts. Many of the resources available to athletes are provided in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Japanese.
USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by text at 87232 (“USADA”), by email at playclean@USADA.org, by phone at 1-877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253), or by mail.
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