UFC veteran Ovince Saint Preux gets 6-month USADA suspension for second violation

Former UFC interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux has been banned from competition for a six-month period after a pair of drug tests administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency returned the presence of banned substances.

Saint Preux (26-17 MMA, 14-12 UFC) has been given leniency, however, after analysis of the samples discovered supplements he ingested contained prohibited substances that were not listed on the label of the supplements. Saint Preux encountered a similar issue in 2019 after a positive test was connected to a contaminated supplement, as well.

Check out the full details of Saint Preux’s case in the statement below issued by USADA:

Saint Preux, 40, tested positive for 3α-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one (a long-term metabolite of 1-Androstenedione and/or 1-Testosterone) as the result of urine samples collected out-of-competition on June 17, 2023, and July 11, 2023. Because Saint Preux was not yet notified of his first positive test when his second test was collected, the two positive tests are combined into a single violation, as required under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.

During an investigation into the circumstances of the positive test, Saint Preux provided a container of a product he was using for analysis at the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, the analysis revealed that the product contained 1-Androstenedione, consistent with the metabolite for which Saint Preux tested positive. USADA was able to independently obtain a sealed container of the product from the same lot number and confirmed it was also contaminated. This product has been added to the High Risk List.

Although Saint Preux was not using a Certified Supplement, he received a reduction to his period of ineligibility because he was able to prove that his positive test was caused by a contaminated product and the very low levels detected in the products would not have benefited his performance. Given that this was his second violation, an increased period of ineligibility from what he received for his first violation was appropriate.

According to USADA, Saint Preux’s six-month period of ineligibility began on June 17. He can return to competition as of Dec. 17.

Saint Preux hasn’t fought since February, when he suffered a 49-second knockout loss against Philipe Lins at UFC Fight Night 219. He’s lost three of his past four fights overall.