UFC Heavyweight Mohammed Usman Faces Career Setback With 30-Month Ban For Positive Drug Test
Mohammed Usman has paid a steep price for breaching the UFC’s anti-doping rules.
On Thursday, Combat Sports Anti-Doping announced that Usman has been handed a 2-year and 6-month period (30 months) of ineligibility from competition after testing positive for the intentional use of testosterone.
“The Motor” tested positive for testosterone during an out-of-competition sample collected in September, which led to his removal from a scheduled bout against Valter Walker at UFC Rio in October. The younger brother of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman subsequently acknowledged to CSAD earlier in 2025 that he had used testosterone as well as BPC-157, a peptide prohibited at all times.
According to CSAD, the 36-year-old UFC heavyweight eventually accepted responsibility, but his admission came only after a significant delay, once the testing agency confronted him with independently gathered evidence from a thorough investigation. The agency determined that Usman had used multiple prohibited substances and had attempted to mislead investigators with a false explanation.
Taking these aggravating circumstances into account, CSAD imposed an additional six months on top of the standard two-year suspension, extending his period of ineligibility to 30 months.
Mohammed Usman’s suspension has been applied retroactively to October 9, 2025, and is set to expire on April 9, 2028, at which point he will be 39 years old.
What Is Mohammed Usman’s Record in the UFC?
Mohammed Usman earned his spot in the UFC by winning the heavyweight tournament on The Ultimate Fighter Season 30 in 2022. “The Motor” went on to make an immediate impact in his Octagon debut, scoring a knockout victory over Zac Pauga at UFC Vegas 59 in August 2022.
Usman followed that start by putting together a three-fight winning streak before hitting a setback in 2024, when he dropped back-to-back decision losses to Mick Parkin and Thomas Petersen.
The Nigeria-born, Florida-based heavyweight last competed at UFC Baku in June 2025, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over Hamdy Abdelwahab. He now holds a 4-2 record in the UFC and an 11-4 record overall.
