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Former UFC champ Lyoto Machida suspended for 18 months by USADA

The USADA punishment for former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida has been issued. Machida, who had dropped down to 185 in 2013, was pulled from his mid-April UFC on FOX 19 rematch vs. Dan Henderson after admitting he used 7-keto-DHEA, a prohibited substance, has been banned for 18 months retroactive to the date of the offending out-of-competition test. That means he’ll not be eligible to return to UFC competition until October 8th, 2017.

“USADA announced today that UFC® athlete, Lyoto Machida, of Salvador, Brazil, has accepted an 18-month sanction for an anti-doping policy violation after declaring the use of a prohibited substance and subsequently testing positive for the use of that substance.