"He got that title shot prescription from Rountree" - Fans react after Azamat Murzakanov is suspended for 180 days for a positive antidoping test

Azamat Murzakanov last entered the octagon in August as he defeated Alonzo Menifield via second-round knockout to remain undefeated at UFC on ABC 7. The No.12-ranked light heavyweight appeared set to face Nikita Krylov at UFC 309 last month, however, he was forced to withdraw from the bout for undisclosed reasons.

Those reasons were revealed on Monday as news emerged that 'The Professional' tested positive for a banned substance. MMA Orbit took to X to report the news, posting:

"🚨Combat Sports Anti-Doping [CSAD] has announced that Azamat Murzakanov has accepted a 180-day sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. Murzakanov tested positive for the low-level presence of a metabolite of LGD 4033, a prohibited at all times substance in the class of anabolic agents on the UFC Prohibited List, from an out of competition sample collected from him on Oct. 8, 2024".

"Murzakanov’s suspension began on Nov. 1, 2024, the day he was notified of this adverse finding in writing by CSAD and placed on a provisional suspension. Murzakanov’s suspension will expire 180-days later, on May 1, 2025."

Check out the post from MMA Orbit below:

Fans shared their reaction to the news. @Koga911 joked that he is following Khalil Rountree Jr.'s path to a title shot:

"He got that Title shot prescription from Rountree 💪"

@AOUREDOO shared that they will no longer support Murzakanov:

"We will not root for that kid ever again, we do not support cheats. Enjoy the ban"

@DKD2421 questioned his choice of supplements:

"Can’t understand why any of them take these garbage SARMS when the good shit comes with the same punishment I guess plausible deniable that no idiot would take a sarm to get a competitive advantage"

@bobby32324659 responded with a play on words involving Murzakanov's nickname:

"Not very professional from "The professional”…"

Check out the best fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

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Azamat Murzakanov's suspension was doubled due to his status as a repeat offender

Azamat Murzakanov will be sidelined until May following his suspension for violating the UFC's anti-doping policy. The official statement regarding his suspension revealed that his status as a repeat offender led to his punishment being twice as long as recommended, stating:

"CSAD determined that an appropriate sanction for Murzakanov adverse finding is a 90-day period of ineligibility. Despite the source of the adverse finding coming from a dietary supplement that listed no prohibited substances on its label, the supplement was not 3rd party tested and certified like all UFC athletes are educated to exclusively use. Because Murzakanov served a previous suspension under the UFC-ADP in 2019, this was Murzakanov’s second violation under the program and his sanction was therefore doubled to 180-days." [h/t UFC.com]

Murzakanov initially appeared set to make his promotional debut in 2017, however, he was suspended for two years after failing a USADA test. The official statement from his latest suspension did reveal, however, that the amount of LGD-4033 in his system would not have provided an advantage and that a follow-up sample tested negative.