Sean O'Malley says failed drug test will keep him out of UFC 229
Sean O’Malley will not fight at UFC 229. The 23-year-old announced that he failed a drug test, and will not be able to take part in the event next Saturday.
O’Malley was slated to fight José Alberto Quiñónez. He explained on Instagram that he believes he took a tainted supplement and is sending samples to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to prove his innocence.
💔 Just a speed bump on the way to greatness.
A post shared by Sugar Sean O'Malley (@sugaseanmma) on Sep 30, 2018 at 4:32pm PDT
As O’Malley noted in his post, UFC usually announces violations, but the company altered its policy in July. UFC will now only announce suspension after cases are resolved. O’Malley’s case is still being reviewed, which is why he decided to break the news. He didn’t want fans to wonder why he wouldn’t be fighting at UFC 229.
According to O’Malley, he has identified a dietary supplement he believes led to the failed test. He sent that bottle and a sealed bottle of the supplement to USADA to test. He’s hoping that will prove the he unintentionally tested positive.
O’Malley finished his statement by apologizing to fans who wanted to see him fight at the event. He also said he has no intention of cheating during his career and hopes to be back fighting soon.
The 23-year-old O’Malley has a 10-0 record in his brief MMA career. UFC has not announced whether he’ll be replaced for UFC 229.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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