Rachael Ostovich’s One-Year USADA Suspension Reduced after Supplement Testing

Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Rachael Ostovich has received an eight-month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency for a failed drug test administered in January.

The out-of-competition test, which was administered on Jan. 3, came back positive for ostarine and GW1516, also known as cardarine or endurobol. The suspension, which was originally set at one year from the date of the failed test, was reduced to eight months after additional testing of one of Ostovich’s training supplements. According to a statement from USADA, “Although ostarine and GW1516 were not listed on the supplement label, the analysis revealed that the product contained ostarine and GW1516, the substances for which Ostovich tested positive. The product label listed another prohibited substance, but Ostovich did not realize at the time that it was prohibited. Consistent with other cases with similar circumstances, USADA determined that a small reduction from the default two-year period of ineligibility was justified.

“Ostovich received an additional reduction to the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility for her Full and Complete Cooperation. Under the revised UFC [anti-doping program] announced on Nov. 25, 2019, a Full and Complete Cooperation reduction may be granted in the event that an athlete demonstrates that they did not intend to enhance their performance and provided full, prompt, and truthful responses and information to all reasonable inquiries and requests for information.”

With the reduced penalty, Ostovich becomes the latest example of fighters successfully demonstrating the presence of banned contaminants in over-the-counter training supplements. Ostarine in particular has figured prominently in several cases over the last few years. The eight-month suspension, retroactive to Jan. 3, will leave Ostovich eligible to compete at the beginning of September. The 29-year-old Hawaiian last competed in January of 2019, when she succumbed to a second-round armbar by Paige VanZant.