UFC Welterweight Jim Wallhead Accepts Suspension for Tainted Supplement

UFC welterweight and veteran mixed martial artist Jim Wallhead has accepted a nine month suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance on Oct. 7, 2017.

USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) officials announced the suspension on Tuesday.

According to USADA, Wallhead tested positive for ostarine and its metabolite following an out of competition drug sample collected on Oct. 7, 2017.

“Following notification of his positive test, Wallhead provided USADA with information about a dietary supplement product he was using at the time of the relevant sample collection,” USADA officials stated. “Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, testing conducted on an independently sourced, unopened container of the product by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, indicated that it contained ostarine.

“The presence of an undisclosed prohibited substance in a product is regarded as contamination.”

The supplement that Wallhead used was added to the high risk supplement list provided by USADA to all athletes.

Athletes are still responsible for all supplements taken but USADA maintains the right to offer a lesser suspension for the doping infraction.

“USADA took into consideration the circumstances that resulted in Wallhead’s positive test, including his failure to thoroughly research the contaminated supplement, or recognize the increased risk of purchasing a supplement from a supplier that also produces products with prohibited substances. As such, USADA determined that a nine-month period of ineligibility was an appropriate sanction under the rules for his violation,” USADA officials stated.

Wallhead’s suspension was backdated to Oct. 7, 2017, which means he’ll be eligible to return to action as early as July 7, 2018.