Two members of the UFC roster who tested positive for the banned substance ostarine have been suspended.
At a monthly Nevada Athletic Commission meeting Wednesday, the commission suspended featherweight Kyler Phillips and lightweight Darrius Flowers and fined them each $407.50 for legal fees.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which runs the UFC’s drug-testing program, defines ostarine as “the trademarked name for a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) that is not approved for human use or consumption in the U.S., or in any other country.”
Ostarine is prohibited by the NAC and USADA. Almost two dozen fighters have tested positive for ostarine since USADA and the UFC partnered in 2015, including Sean O’Malley and Amanda Ribas. Many of these athletes had suspensions reduced after it was confirmed that contaminated supplements were to blame.
Lance Spaude, of Iridium Sports, the agency which represents both Phillips and Flowers pointed to this in a statement Wednesday to MMA Junkie and called for change in “outdated” policy.
“Both Kyler and Darrius are unfortunate victims of an outdated policy that the Nevada commission was unable to revise. The commission understood that neither athlete intentionally took a banned substance in an effort to gain a competitive advantage but rather was likely the victim of a tainted supplement.
“However, due to existing policies no equitable relief could be granted. Simply put, if Kyler and Darrius were scheduled to compete in any state other than Nevada no suspension would have occurred. The amount of oestrone was so minimal that all experts in the field agreed the only logical conclusion was an accidental ingestion by a tainted supplement or food substance. Moreover, the single positive test was preceded and followed by two completely negative tests. The evidence is clear that Kyler and Darrius had no intention to cheat or gain an unfair advantage. Both are looking forward to getting back to competition as soon as possible.
“The only benefit of this unfortunate situation is that the commission is now aware of its outdated policy and is actively working with stakeholders to make long overdue changes to its policies.
Phillips (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) tested positive during urinalysis of a sample collected ahead of a scheduled March 11 bout vs. Raphael Assuncao. Flowers (12-5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) tested positive during urinalysis of a sample collected around a scheduled Feb. 25 bout vs. Erick Gonzalez, which was expected to be his promotional debut.
Phillips most recently competed in February 2021 at UFC 271 where he finished Marcelo Rojo with an armbar. He was scheduled to fight Jack Shore in November and Assuncao in March, but both bouts were canceled.
Flowers defeated Amiran Gogoladze on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 to earn a UFC contract. The finish came due to an injury inflicted by a Flowers slam resemblant of a pro-wrestling tombstone piledriver.
