Lyoto Machida firmly disagrees with the length of his USADA suspension.
In a statement posted Friday to his Facebook page, the former UFC light heavyweight champion said he did not know the substance he was sanctioned for was prohibited, because information from USADA has been "unclear." Machida said he was using the substance, 7-keto-dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), to reduce stress, not for performance enhancement.
Machida was suspended 18 months by USADA, the UFC's anti-doping partner, it was announced Wednesday. In April, Machida admitted to using 7-keto-DHEA and later had an elevated 7β-hydroxy-DHEA to DHEA ratio in a drug test, per USADA.