A UFC fighter has accepted a nine-month suspension for violating the promotion's anti-doping policy.
On Saturday night, the UFC finally returned after a six-week break for a thrilling card that served as the first since the MMA organisation agreed a massive new $7.7 billion US broadcast deal with Paramaount+.
UFC superstar Justin Gaethje claimed the interim lightweight title after beating the popular Paddy Pimblett in the main event of the card, with former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley winning in the co-main.
Overall, the card marked a massive success for the start of the UFC's partnership with Paramount, with UFC 324 reaching a live-minute average audience of 4.96 million and 7.18 million global households, a record for the platform.
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But just days after such a positive event, the UFC had to deal with the first drama of 2026 as a fighter has been suspended following a breach of their anti-doping rules.
In a statement released on their official website, the UFC confirmed that women's strawweight contender Iasmin Lucindo Bezerra has accepted a nine-month suspension for a breach of the promotion's anti-doping policy.
Lucindo Bezerra, 24, tested positive for mesterolone, an anabolic steroid that is primarily used to treat low testosterone and male infertility.
The statement confirmed that a sample taken out of competition on September 24 last year in Brazil has tested positive for the banned substance.
However, it added that Lucindo Bezerra did not intentionally take the substance, stating: "Throughout CSAD’s investigation, the evidence collected indicated that did not intentionally use mesterolone to gain a performance advantage.
"She cooperated fully with CSAD’s investigation, including submitting to a detailed interview and providing official government documentation from a Brazilian pharmacy where she obtained compounded dietary supplements prior to the adverse finding."
The documents that she provided revealed that the pharmacy regularly compounded products containing mesterolone and it was possible that legal dietary supplements that she took had been inadvertently contaminated with the drug.
Following the investigation, Lucindo Bezerra accepted a nine-month suspension, which is retroactive to September 24, meaning it will conclude June 24.
In her last fight on August 9, 2025, Lucindo Bezerra picked up a unanimous decision win over UFC veteran Angela Hill, taking her UFC record to five wins in six appearances, with her only loss to Amanda Lemos.
Ben McCrum