Daniel Rodriguez is done for 2023.
The veteran UFC welterweight received a six-month suspension on Tuesday from the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) after testing positive for ostarine in an out-of-competition drug screening prior to his planned Sept. 16 bout against Santiago Ponzinibbio at Noche UFC.
Rodriguez’s suspension is retroactive to the date of his failed test, meaning he is eligible to compete on Jan. 28, 2024. He is also required to pay prosecution fees totaling $157.04 and must undergo additional drug testing 30, 15, and three days out from his next bout.
The Ponzinibbio bout was ultimately cancelled.
Rodriguez, 36, 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.”
Rodriguez (17-4) 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.