UFC middleweight David Branch suspended for two years by Usada after failed doping test
- The 37-year-old tests positive for ipamorelin in out-of-competition sample
- Suspension made retroactive to July 26 when provisional ban started
UFC middleweight David Branch will be out of the octagon until 2021 after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) suspended the middleweight for two years because of a failed drug test.
Usada, which administers the UFC’s drug testing policy, announced the suspension on Wednesday night.
The 37-year-old Branch (22-6) has gone 2-3 since returning to the UFC in 2017, beating Thiago Santos but dropping his last two fights, to Jared Cannonier (TKO) and Jack Hermansson (submission).
“Branch tested positive for ipamorelin as the result of a urine sample he provided out-of-competition on May 24, 2019,” Usada said.
“Ipamorelin is in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.”