Daniel Rodriguez’s saga with his Noche UFC drug test is finally over.
The veteran UFC welterweight on Thursday accepted a three-month suspension from USADA after testing positive for trace amounts of ostarine and LGD-4033 in an out-of-competition drug screening prior to his planned Sept. 16 bout against Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Rodriguez’s suspension is retroactive to the date of his failed test, which was collected on on July 28, meaning it has already expired. However, Rodriguez’s USADA sanction also runs in tandem with the previous six-month suspension the 36-year-old received from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which permits Rodriguez to compete again on Jan. 28, 2024.
Rodriguez (17-4) revealed in August that he tested positive for an “extremely low level” of ostarine, a banned selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). At the time, Rodriguez wrote that he strongly believed “a supplement contaminant” was the reason for his positive test. Ostarine has been commonly linked to several tainted supplement cases in the past.
“I want to clarify I did not intentionally use Ostarine, nor have I ever knowingly used any prohibited substance in my career,” Rodriguez wrote in a statement on Instagram this past August. “I rarely take any form of supplements and have always strived to care for my body in the most natural ways. From my first fight until today I have had a negative test every single time not one slip up not one positive test until today.
“Since I was notified, I became educated on Ostarine, as well as others who have tested positive for the substance. Ostarine, specifically, is commonly found as a low-level contaminant in certain dietary supplements. These levels provide absolutely no performance-enhancing benefit. I strongly believe that a supplement contaminant is the reason for my low-level positive.”
The Ponzinibbio bout was ultimately cancelled.
According to a USADA release, Rodriguez was indeed “able to prove that his positive test was caused by a contaminated product, and the low levels detected in the product would not have benefited his performance,” which is what led to Rodriguez’s reduced sanction.
Rodriguez has not competed since losing via first-round knockout to Ian Machado Garry this past May. In total, “D-Rod” has won seven of his 10 UFC appearances, defeating the likes of Kevin Lee, Mike Perry, Li Jingliang, and Tim Means.
