There is no going to be an even larger period of time before Murdock can make his promotional debut because the fighter has accepted a twenty month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Murdock failed an out of competition drug test conducted by USADA, testing positive for such illegal substances at GW1516 metabolites GW1516 sulfoxide and GW1516 sulfone.
The suspension is retroactive to the date of the drug test failure, so Murdock can return to action after March 6 of 2021.
USADA issued the following press release on the matter:
September 5, 2019
USADA announced today that Vince Murdock, of Sacramento, Calif., has accepted a 20-month sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Murdock, 28, tested positive for GW1516 metabolites GW1516 sulfoxide and GW1516 sulfone as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample collected on July 6, 2019. GW1516, also known as GW501516 and cardarine, is a non-Specified Substance in the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
After being notified of his positive test, Murdock came forward with evidence of his use of this prohibited substance before entering the UFC Anti-Doping Program. Based on the specific details of the case, Murdock received a reduction from the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility.
Upon being added to the UFC Anti-Doping Program, athletes are required to declare medications and supplements they have used in the previous 12 months. An athlete who declares the prior use of a prohibited substance will not be deemed to have committed a violation but will be required to refrain from competition for a period of at least 6 months and provide at least two negative samples. Murdock did not declare the use of the prohibited substance on his onboarding declaration form.
Murdock’s 20-month period of ineligibility began on July 6, 2019, the date his positive sample was collected.
USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. In an effort to aid UFC athletes, as well as their support team members, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on the UFC Anti-Doping Program website (https://UFC.USADA.org) regarding the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.
In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (https://UFC.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, and periodic athlete alerts. Many of the resources available to athletes are provided in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Japanese.
Along with education and testing, robust anti-doping programs enable investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers. USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by email at playclean @usada.org, by phone at 1 877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253), or by mail.
