It’s already been nearly two years since UFC bantamweight Ashlee Evans-Smith last stepped into the cage. From the sound of things, it seems likely that fans won’t see her back in the Octagon any time in the immediate future, either. That’s following a press release from the UFC’s drug testing agency, USADA, that ‘Rebel Girl’ has accepted a 14-month suspension from competition.
Evans-Smith tested positive for the anabolic androgenic agent dehydroepiandrosterone, more commonly known as DHEA, in a pair of out of competition urine samples collected on January 3rd and January 27th of this year. Notably, however, USADA noted that the fighter had actually declared her use of DHEA on her doping control forms for both tests, adding that she had been prescribed the medication by her physician.
“During an investigation into the circumstances of the case,” the USADA press release reads, “Evans-Smith provided evidence, including medical records, indicating that a physician incorrectly prescribed DHEA to her. As such, USADA determined that Evans-Smith’s degree of fault was diminished and that she should receive a reduced period of ineligibility. She also received a reduction for her Full and Complete Cooperation.”
As such, Evans-Smith will be eligible to return to competition on March 3rd of 2023, 14 months after her first sample collection date. The 34-year-old was previously handed a 9-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic commission, back in 2015, after an in competition drug test came back positive for a banned diuretic.
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