UFC Light Heavyweight Tom Lawlor Suspended 2 Years for Anti-Doping Violation

Tom Lawlor has accepted a two-year suspension from USADA after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine.

The UFC light heavyweight tested positive for the substance in an out-of-competition urine test conducted on Oct. 10. Ostarine, which can be used to treat conditions such as osteoporosis, is considered an anabolic agent according to World Anti-Doping Agency code.

“Ostarine is not currently available as a prescription medication in any country, and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects,” the USADA statement read. “Nonetheless, ostarine has been found as a declared and undeclared ingredient in many dietary supplements sold in the United States, which has prompted the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue warning letters to specific dietary supplement manufacturers stating that ostarine is an unapproved new drug and that selling the drug is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).”

Lawlor’s suspension is retroactive to the date of the positive test, which means he will be eligible to return to active competition on Oct. 10, 2018. In the meantime, he must remain in the USADA drug-testing pool in order to receive credit for the time served under his current suspension.

Lawlor returned to the Octagon following more than a two-year hiatus at UFC on Fox 16, where he defeated Gian Villante via second-round TKO. Most recently, “Filthy” dropped a unanimous decision against Corey Anderson at UFC 196.