Dequan Townsend suspended for cocaine, will not miss Jan. 25 fight
Dequan Townsend has accepted a six-month suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after an in-competition urine test detected cocaine and fentanyl metabolites. MMA Junkie reported the suspension on Wednesday.
Despite the suspension, Townsend will still fight against Bevon Lewis on Jan. 25 at UFC on ESPN+ 24. The fight is not affected because the suspension is retroactive to the date before his UFC debut fight on June 28. Due to the rule, Townsend’s suspension ended on Dec. 28.
According to USADA, Townsend’s suspension was reduced because he was able to prove that the substance did not enhance, or wasn’t intended to enhance his performance.
The exact findings of the June 28 test were ruled as bezoylecgonine (cocaine) and norfentanyl (fentanyl) metabolites. USADA and the UFC Prohibited List consider the metabolites as Substance Abuse.
Townsend, 33, is off to a rough start to his UFC career. His debut came on less than one week’s notice and he lost Dalcha Lungiambula via TKO in the third round.
While his young UFC career is filled with drama, he will have a chance to turn it all around on Jan 25. The UFC on ESPN+ 24 fights take place at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
