“I am surprised with the suspicion of doping announced by the UFC! In 13 fights have submitted seven times to anti-doping tests and I've never been accused of any illegal substance use…I would never use something that was not allowed. My medical team is working on an investigation of any supplements or medications used in and out of Brazil in recent months that might have given this false positive result on the test. The analysis is being done in specialized laboratories, by researchers at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, and the medical procedures are also being investigated. I have been a succession of facts that want to shake up my career, such as deferred fights, injuries, etc, and I was prevented fighting last year. But I am confident that my career will not be shaken by this obstacle. Now we give our rebuttal to the UFC and we await results of the analyses so that measures can be taken.” - Thiago Tavares press release

UFC lightweight veteran, Thiago Tavares discusses the results of his UFC on FX 7 post-fight urine analyses.

According to UFC officials, Tavares "A" and "B" samples came back positive for Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid. Consequently, the UFC has suspended Tavares for nine months following the results.

At UFC on FX 7, Tavares faced rising Russian lightweight star Khabib Nurmagomedov, who brutally knocked out Tavares in the first round via elbow strikes.

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