Azamat Murzakanov will be spending the first few months of 2025 on the side lines after it was announced on Monday that he has been serving a six-month suspension. The UFC's anti-doping partner, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) stated that the undefeated light heavyweight had tested positive for LGD-4033.
CSAD also revealed that they believe the result from the out-of-competition test that was taken on October 8 was due to a "purported dietary supplement" which Murzakanov had submitted to them. They found traces of LGD-4033 in the supplement but the #12-ranked contender at 205-pounds was still suspended because, as CSAD states, the supplement was not "third-party tested and certified".
He will be eligible to return to the Octagon on May 1 due to his suspension time rising from 90 to 180 days due this being his second violation. Murzakanov was previously suspended by USADA for two years ahead of his UFC debut back in 2017.
After winning the BRAVE CF openweight tournament in 2019, he was given the opportunity to compete on the 2021 series of Dana White's Contender Series where he earned his contract. Since then, he has produced four consecutive wins and three finishes to find himself ranked in the top 15 at light heavyweight, beating the likes of Alonzo Menifield, Dustin Jacoby and Devin Clark.
He was expected to face the #8-ranked Nikita Krylov at UFC 309 last month in New York until he withdrew from the fight with the reason now being revealed.
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