Ex-UFC Fighter Ryan Benoit Accepts 10-Month USADA Sanction for Sleep Disorder Drug

Former UFC flyweight Ryan Benoit has been suspended 10 months for an anti-doping violation, USADA announced Monday.

Benoit tested positive for modafinil and its metabolite, modafinil acid, in a urine sample collected at UFC on ESPN 28 on July 31. Modafinil, which is listed in the stimulant category, is typically used to reduce sleepiness in disorders such as narcolepsy or sleep apnea and is banned as an in-competition drug by USADA.

Benoit received a reduction in what would normally be a two-year suspension once in was determined that he used the drug out of competition. The Janjiri Muay Thai representative will be able to return to active competition on May 31, 2022. Benoit previously received a nine-month term from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the failed drug test.

Benoit, 32, dropped a unanimous decision to Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 28, his third consecutive defeat within the Las Vegas-based promotion. He was released from UFC following that defeat. “Baby Face” went 3-6 in the Octagon from November 2013 to July 2021. Though Benoit is no longer under the UFC banner, the suspension is typically recognized by most athletic commissions.

The full USADA statement regarding Benoit is as follows:

USADA announced today that Ryan Benoit, of McKinney, Texas, has accepted a 10-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy.

Benoit, 32, tested positive for modafinil and its metabolite, modafinil acid, as the result of a urine sample collected on July 31, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 194. Modafinil is a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Stimulants and is prohibited in-competition under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.

USADA determined that Benoit was eligible for a reduction to the otherwise applicable two-year period of ineligibility based on the circumstances of the case, including the fact that he established that his use of the prohibited substance occurred out of competition. He also received a reduction for his Full and Complete Cooperation.

Benoit’s 10-month period of ineligibility began on July 31, 2021, the date his positive sample was collected. Benoit’s positive test also falls under the jurisdiction of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which has resolved the case in accordance with its rules.