A failed drug test forced Khalil Rountree out of UFC 303, but he won’t be on the shelf for long.
Rountree was suspended just two months as the result of a positive test for anabolic steroid DHEA, UFC anti-doping program Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced Wednesday. Rountree was first to announce his drug test failure and withdrawal last week.
According to CSAD, Rountree self-reported accidental ingestion of a blended supplement that contained DHEA. A May 4 sample tested by Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) was consistent with Rountree’s claim.
Through documentation provided by Rountree, CSAD confirmed a supplement company sent the fighter “therapeutic blend” products “without prior approval.” CSAD wrote that the supplement company owner called the error “a massive oversight on our part.”
“CSAD has determined that Rountree’s actions after he determined the error, and the evidence of this case, fit these criteria, and thus CSAD is reducing the sanction against Rountree to 2 months,” CSAD said in a statement.
The doses Rountree ingested are not believed to have any significant performance benefits, CSAD determined after consultation with SMRTL.
Since he had a June 29 bout vs. Jamahal Hill booked for Las Vegas, Rountree could face additional discipline from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which plans to discuss the matter at an upcoming monthly meeting.
The disciplinary action handed out marks the third since CSAD’s conception at the beginning of 2024. The program, which is headed by former FBI agent George Piro, began after the UFC split from long-time anti-doping partner USADA. Rountree joins Walt Harris and Khusein Askhabov as the three fighters flagged thus far.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.
