Vince Murdock Receives Reduced USADA Sanction Due to Neurological Issue

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Featherweight Vince Murdock has been granted a six-month reduction in what was originally a 20-month sanction after USADA found a “decreased degree of fault” in his anti-doping violation.

Murdock was initially suspended in September 2019 after testing positive for GW1516 metabolites in an out-of-competition urine sample. The fighter did not admit the use of the banned substance in his declaration form but did come forward before entering the USADA program.

“Recently, Murdock submitted new medical records regarding his diagnosis and treatment of Moyamoya, a rare neurological condition that can impact memory and cognition,” a USADA statement read. “These records allowed USADA to reevaluate Murdock’s degree of fault for his positive test and determine that it was appropriate to reduce his sanction from 20 months to 14 months.”

Murdock’s suspension originally began on July 6, 2019, and with the reduced sanction, the Team Alpha Male product will be eligible to compete again on Sept. 6. Murdock was scheduled to make his Octagon debut against Jordan Griffin at UFC on ESPN 3 but the bout was canceled after he wasn’t medically cleared.

The full USADA statement is as follows:

USADA announced today that Vince Murdock, of Sacramento, Calif., received a reduction in his suspension after presenting new evidence to USADA that indicates a decreased degree of fault for his violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.

Murdock initially accepted a 20-month sanction in September of 2019 as the result of testing positive for GW1516 metabolites during an out-of-competition urine sample, which was his first test in the UFC Anti-Doping Program. Murdock did not declare the use of GW1516 on his onboarding declaration form, as required, but came forward with evidence of his use of this prohibited substance before entering the Program.

Recently, Murdock submitted new medical records regarding his diagnosis and treatment of Moyamoya, a rare neurological condition that can impact memory and cognition. These records allowed USADA to reevaluate Murdock’s degree of fault for his positive test and determine that it was appropriate to reduce his sanction from 20 months to 14 months.

Murdock’s original 20-month period of ineligibility began on July 6, 2019, the date his positive sample was collected. With the six-month reduction, Murdock’s period of ineligibility is now due to expire on September 6, 2020.