It seems the saga of Askar Mozharov’s disastrous UFC debut hasn’t quite ended. The Ukranian fighter was first signed to the world’s largest MMA promotion back in the spring of 2021, but visa and injury issues meant that he didn’t see the Octagon for the first (and only) time until June of this year.
Unfortunately for ‘No Mercy’ the extra months gave MMA record keepers a chance to take a little bit more of a hard look at Mozharov’s seemingly rock solid 24-7 career. By the time the Sherdog Fight Finder team got done combing through it, Mozarov walked into his UFC Vegas 56 fight against Alonzo Menifield with a record of 17-12. A little less than five minutes later and he was 17-13.
From there, it seems things really fell apart in a hurry. The UFC immediately dropped Mozharov from their roster and, not long after, the fighter announced that he was officially retiring from mixed martial arts. Now, however, MMA Junkie reports that even if Mozharov wanted to get back in the cage, he’d be facing a probable suspension. That’s after the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that the fighter had failed an in-competition drug test surrounding his bout against Menifield.
Junkie reports that Mozharov tested positive for a “metabolic modulator,” the kind of substance often used in the sporting world to suppress the negative effects of steroid use. It’s a similar class of drugs to those that led to Brock Lesnar’s UFC drug test failure, and one of Jon Jones’ drug test failures.
At their August meeting, the NSAC announced that Mozharov and his team have been in communication with the commission over the matter, and that a decision on a potential suspension or fine has not yet been made. For the moment, Mozharov remains “temporarily suspended” until a final verdict has been reached.
About the author
