USADA suspends UFC middleweight Abu Azaitar seven months following four failed tests

Abu Azaitar is the lastest Azaitar brother to face disciplinary action.

A UFC middleweight, Azaitar (14-2-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was suspended seven months by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for tamoxifen and/or tamoxifen metabolite 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-tamoxifen, the UFC’s drug-testing partner announced Monday.

Azaitar presented urine samples that later tested positive for the banned substance four times: On August 25, September 4, September 9, and September 17 of last year. According to USADA, “Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator used therapeutically to treat certain types of cancer in females and also prescribed off-label for males with various other conditions.”

Azaitar, 34, subsequently provided evidence he was prescribed tamoxifen by a doctor. USADA later determined Azaitar did not meet the requirements for an approved Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

Due to the circumstances, Azaitar received a reduced sentence. He will be eligible to return to competition on March 25 (seven months retroactive from his initial positive sample).

Azaitar’s suspension comes less than two weeks after his brother, Ottman Azaitar, was cut from the UFC for violating COVID-19 health and safety protocols during UFC 257 fight week.

According to UFC president Dana White, Ottman and his team snuck people into the fighter hotel from outside the COVID-19 safe bubble. They were later caught on surveillance camera. While Abu was on hand for his brother’s fight week, it is not clear what involvement, if any, he had in the matter.

Abu Azaitar has competed once in the UFC, a unanimous decision win over Vitor Miranda in July 2018. He was booked twice since and withdrew from both fights.