UFC fighters Kyler Phillips, Darrius Flowers temporarily suspended for ostarine

Two members of the UFC roster have been suspended after they tested positive for ostarine.

At Tuesday’s monthly NAC meeting, rising UFC featherweight Kyler Phillips and lightweight Darrius Flowers had disciplinary hearings continued until a future date, which could be as soon as the commission’s April meeting.

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 commission and USADA. Various fighters have tested positive for ostarine over the years, including Sean O’Malley and Amanda Ribas.

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 expected to be his promotional debut. Flowers was present in-person for Tuesday’s meeting.

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.

Additionally, pro MMA fighter Adriano Capitulino (9-5) was handed a nine-month suspension with fines totaling $476 due to a positive drug test for tamoxifen. The positive test stemmed from a unanimous decision loss Nov. 20 vs. “TUF” alumnus Ryder Newman at Tuff-N-Uff 130.