Overcoming adversity isn’t anything new for Dequan Townsend.
At UFC on ESPN+ 24, the UFC middleweight will return from a six-month U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension for cocaine and fentanyl when he takes on Bevon Lewis (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC).
The positive test was announced in a press release on Jan. 8. In his first interview since, Townsend (21-9 MMA, 0-1 UFC) opened up to MMA Junkie about the situation. The 33-year-old fighter said he’s never been one to judge anyone and indicated he hopes he can be viewed similarly.
“Truthfully, there are plenty of ways things can get in people’s systems,” Townsend told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I’ve always said and I’ve told people a thousand times, I don’t discriminate. I don’t judge nobody based off of what they do with their life or how they do their life.”
There are a number of factors Townsend pointed to when he spoke about the events leading to his failed test, including the short-notice nature of his UFC debut and his outside-the-cage environment.
“Obviously, I took the fight on days’ notice and wasn’t prepared for this USADA stuff,” Townsend said. “I wasn’t prepared for any of the things that happened. I was pretty much just hanging with the wrong crowd. Hanging with the wrong crowd and a mix of things, it just happened. I touched the wrong stuff.
“I was in the wrong environment, but it happened. There’s nothing I can do about it. I just took the necessary precautions I needed to take to fix the situation and whatever USADA wanted me to do, I did to move forward.”
Upon receiving the news of his failure, Townsend believed his UFC career was over. It took him 29 pro fights to get on the roster and feared it would all be for not. Townsend credits his manager for successfully lobbying for him a second chance.
“I worked so hard to get here,” Townsend said. “… I’m like, ‘Damn, I get my opportunity and then this happens.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah they’re going to cut me quick.’ I thought they wouldn’t even want to deal with the situation.
“Shoutout to my manager Jason House with Iridium. He had my back. He supported me with the situation like, ‘Look, this man took this fight on three days’ notice. He wasn’t a UFC-signed fighter. He didn’t know the situation with USADA. He didn’t know none of this.’ It wasn’t like I put steroids in my body when I knew that (expletive) is completely illegal.”
Outside of fighting, Townsend works in the healthcare industry. He’s aware of the dangers of cocaine use and fentanyl and said his use of the former was “completely unintentional.”
“(From) 9-to-5 I am a nurse,” Townsend said. “Those who actually know me from my hometown and my city, they know that I’m very aware of the seriousness of fentanyl. That was something that was completely unintentional.”
Before being reinstated by the UFC, Townsend had to partake in a drug rehabilitation program. Townsend said he learned a lot, but the program served more as as reminder.
“In the program, I learned a lot of things,” Townsend said. “It was mindful information, but with my mindset and my previous history, it was just doing what I need to be doing. I have never been a drug user – no offense to people who do what they do in their personal time.”
The positive test presented just another moment of adversity for Townsend to overcome. In 2014, Townsend’s four-year-old son passed away from cancer. Townsend hopes his success inside the cage can serve as a positive motivator for people struggling with whatever challenges life throws at them.
“I’ve overcame so much to make it here,” Townsend said. “From the time I saw my son’s heartbeat stop, can’t no one tell me about overcoming anything. I’ve overcame it all and still managed to get into the cage, train hard, and make it to the next level. At the end of the day, this is just another stepping stone on my way to the top.”
According to Townsend, fans should expect to see a new and improved fighter on Jan. 25. The version who stepped into the cage in June isn’t his true self.
“I’ll put it to you like this, a lot of people were surprised about a jab. They thought I was fast on the jab,” Townsend said. “Mind you again, I was 205. I had a bunch of extra weight because I took a fight on short notice. I was trying to conserve my energy because I didn’t get a chance to train. They will see me at 185. It’s the 185 division where there’ll be a lot of different eye openers for people.”
Dequan Townsend opens up about positive test for cocaine, fentanyl: 'I don't judge nobody'