USADA announced today that Vince Murdock, of Sacramento, Calif., received a reduction in his suspension after presenting new evidence to USADA that indicates a decreased degree of fault for his violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.
Murdock initially accepted a 20-month sanction in September of 2019 as the result of testing positive for GW1516 metabolites during an out-of-competition urine sample, which was his first test in the UFC Anti-Doping Program. Murdock did not declare the use of GW1516 on his onboarding declaration form, as required, but came forward with evidence of his use of this prohibited substance before entering the Program.
Recently, Murdock submitted new medical records regarding his diagnosis and treatment of Moyamoya, a rare neurological condition that can impact memory and cognition. These records allowed USADA to reevaluate Murdock’s degree of fault for his positive test and determine that it was appropriate to reduce his sanction from 20 months to 14 months.
Murdock’s original 20-month period of ineligibility began on July 6, 2019, the date his positive sample was collected. With the six-month reduction, Murdock’s period of ineligibility is now due to expire on September 6, 2020.
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.
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.
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