Combat Sports Anti-Doping suspended Irina Alekseeva for one year due to elevated levels of testosterone. Her failed test occurred under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy under USADA although the organization did not advise her of the adverse finding.
The UFC indicated that the handling of the matter by USADA was “unacceptable.” According to the report, Alekseeva did not advise her until October 31, 2023. In the meantime, she competed on October 14, 2024.
A portion of the statement released by CSAD read:
…USADA failed to report the results of this sample to her and to UFC until October 31, 2023, more than four (4) months after the sample was collected and AFTER Alekseeva was allowed to compete in a UFC event in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 14, 2023.
The report further states:
USADA collected two additional samples from Alekseeva BEFORE her October 14, 2023, fight, (August 8, 2023, and September 13, 2023) that were both negative. It should be noted that when CSAD took over the independent administrator role of UFC ADP from USADA on December 31, 2023, it requested additional, more specific testing of those two samples that USADA had not. The results of this additional testing facilitated by CSAD were negative. Alekseeva was also tested by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) on October 14, 2023, the date of her last UFC fight, and was negative. All three of these subsequent negative samples were collected from Alekseeva before she was informed of her June 21, 2023, positive sample.
The one year suspension will end on October 15, 2024, which would be one year after her last UFC fight.
Payout Perspective:
Alekseeva’s liability was mitigated in part due to USADA’s failure to advise her of the failed test. As a result CSAD states that it “delayed and hindered” her ability to recall facts surrounding the test. Her and her team also was cooperative with the investigation and she produced three negative tests prior to her news of the adverse finding. The handling of this case may be an example of some of the frustration that the UFC could have had with USADA. Without letting Alekseeva know of her failed test in an appropriate manner, it hurt her ability to work with USADA on determining the reasons behind it. Moreover, she was allowed to fight again before knowledge of the failed test.
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