Dequan Townsend Has Been Sanctioned By USADA To Compete For The UFC After Positive Test Results

UFC fighter Dequan Townsend will get another opportunity to compete inside the Octagon despite a positive test result for cocaine and fentanyl. The USADA sanctioned the middleweight for a planned bout on January 25 against Bevon Lewis.

The 33-year-old was tested during last June when he lost his debut in Minneapolis to Dalcha Lungiambula. His sample came back positive for cocaine among other banned substances, but only a six-month suspension was handed down.

USADA made the suspension retroactive to the date of the test, making Townsend eligible to compete this month. Since the banned substances were of abuse, he was eligible to seek a reduced suspension.

"Dequan Townsend, of Lansing, Mich., has accepted a six-month sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for prohibited substances. Townsend's reduced period of ineligibility from the default two-year sanction remains contingent upon his successful completion of a USADA approved drug rehabilitation program," a statement read. "Townsend, 33, tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, and norfentanyl, a metabolite of fentanyl and its derivatives, as the result of an in-competition urine sample he provided on June 28, 2019 at UFC Fight Night Minneapolis, where he lost by technical knockout. Cocaine, a non-Specified stimulant, and fentanyl, a Specified narcotic, are prohibited in-competition and considered Substances of Abuse under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and the UFC Prohibited List."