USADA announced today that Alex Gorgees, of Sydney, Australia, has accepted a 16-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for prohibited substances.
Gorgees, 23, tested positive for a metabolite of drostanolone and a long-term metabolite of dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), 4-chloro-18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl,17α-methyl-5α-androst-13-en-3α-ol (M3), as the result of a urine sample provided in-competition on December 2, 2018 at UFC Fight Night in Adelaide, Australia, and he continued to test positive for both metabolites in an out-of-competition sample provided on December 10, 2018. He then tested positive for only the DHCMT metabolite on January 16, 2019.
Drostanolone and DHCMT are non-Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Gorgees immediately came forward with detailed evidence of his use of prohibited substances before entering the UFC Anti-Doping Program and continued to cooperate throughout USADA’s investigation related to his use, even after his release from the UFC. As a result, Gorgees received a reduction from the maximum two-year period of ineligibility for a doping offense involving a non-Specified Substance.
Gorgees’ 16-month period of ineligibility began on December 2, 2018, the date his first positive sample was collected. Under the rules, any decision concerning competition results is handled by the Commission and the UFC.
USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, 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. If athletes choose to use supplements despite the known risks, USADA has always recommended that athletes use only dietary supplements that have been certified by a third-party program that tests for substances prohibited in sport. USADA currently recognizes NSF Certified for Sport® as the program best suited for athletes to reduce the risk from supplements.
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, easy-reference wallet cards, and periodic athlete alerts. Many of the resources available to athletes are provided in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Japanese.
Along with education and testing, robust anti-doping programs enable investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers. 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 email at playclean@usada.org, by phone at 1 877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253), or by mail.
For more information or media inquiries, email media@usada.org.