Preux Suspended By USADA, Shevchenko Outraged Following Her Draw With Grasso

Saint Preux has accepted a six-month suspension from USADA after testing positive on two occasions. 

According to reports, the UFC fighter tested positive for a banned substance on two occasions following the urine test findings on June 17th and July 11th, 2023.

USADA then went on to state that the positive sample followed as a result of a tainted supplement. In the aftermath, USADA confirmed that the suspension began on June 17th, 2023 and will end on December 17th, 2023.

This is not the first time that Preux has been through such a thing. The same thing happened in 2019 when the MMA fighter tested positive following another contaminated supplement. As a result, Preux ended up getting a three-month ban for this. 

USADA On Preux

“Saint Preux, 40, tested positive for 3α-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one (a long-term metabolite of 1-Androstenedione and/or 1-Testosterone) as the result of urine samples collected out-of-competition on June 17, 2023, and July 11, 2023. Because Saint Preux was not yet notified of his first positive test when his second test was collected, the two positive tests are combined into a single violation, as required under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy,” USADA said 

Preux’s Future

Outside of that, Preux’s form in the cage has not been the best. His last fight was a loss to Philipe Lins as he was stopped in just 49 seconds.

Meanwhile, prior to that, Preux suffered a split-decision win over Shogun Rua at UFC 274. But once the suspension is over, it is not clear who the fighter will face next. However, a return in 2024 will be targeted moving forward. 

Shevchenko Outraged

Elsewhere, Valentina Shevchenko has hit out at the judges following her draw with Alexa Grasso. In a rematch from their fight at UFC 235 in March, when Grasso won via a third-round submission, the two fighters went head-to-head on Mexican Independence Day.

This time around, the fight went the distance as the bout was called a draw. As a result, Grasso kept the title. The primary reason for this was Mike Bell’s scorecard, which was scored 10-8 in favor of Grasso in the final round. That scorecard did not go down very well with Shevchenko, as she has now had her say on the matter. 

“I’m very proud of the work I did inside the octagon. I know [I won] three rounds for certain in that fight, it was my rounds, I won those rounds. From other side, I was [thinking] a few things in the fight were completely unfair. Yes, definitely the scorecards in the final round, 10-8, Mike Bell he did something that was inexplicable things. I think the whole world would love to hear the explanation. But, from the other side, it’s not me. He’s going to live with that mistake forever,” Shevchenko

Moving forward, Preux and Shevchenko have their respective struggles to deal with. But one thing they have shown is their ability to bounce back. And there is no getting away from that.