Sean O’Malley On Potential USADA Violation: ‘My Fans Deserved To Know, I’ve Nothing To Hide’
It’s been a rough few months for UFC hot prospect Sean O’Malley, but he’s not letting the pressure of the situation get him down.
O’Malley was recently scheduled to fight Jose Alberto Quinonez at UFC 229, but on Sept 30 he was cited for a potential violation of the USADA anti-doping policy. Under the new regulations, O’Malley could’ve waited until his case had been read by before announcing his positive test result, but instead the 24-year-old released a statement to his fans making them aware of his situation.
Speaking as a guest at the IMMAF World Championships in Bahrain this past weekend, O’Malley revealed why he felt he needed to disclose publicly what was going on.
“I was told I was pulled off the card and that I was also told that I didn’t have to say why because they weren’t going to release it,” O’Malley told MMANytt. “Usually before that USADA would come out and say ‘So and so tested positive for this,’ but they said that wasn’t the case anymore, you don’t have to.
“I don’t have anything to hide, I didn’t take anything. I just wanted the fans to know. I have some loyal fans that really love me so I just wanted to be honest with them. All of my real fans, my true fans know I didn’t take anything. Everyone else that is saying anything different are just being a hater or being jealous or doing whatever they’re doing. I just wanted my fans to know that I didn’t take anything and that it will all be resolved.”
Having been flagged for 0.08mg of Ostraine, O’Malley will have to go through a lengthy process to prove his innocence. He went on to give an update on the situation and explained what he will have to do in the coming months to clear his name.
“It was a really low amount,” O’Malley said. “I got suspended by the Athletic Commission for six months, but I still need to get suspended by USADA. The case is still ongoing and the suspension could be longer. We’re still trying to figure out which supplement it was, I have to test all my supplements.
“The UFC are really behind me and they know I didn’t take anything. The Athletic Commission knows, six months is the least amount of time they could suspend me. They know I didn’t take anything. I think USADA knows. This happens and this happens a lot. Come January the UFC are going to do something about USADA and testing for that low of a level. Hopefully this will all sort itself out and I hope I’ll be back mid-year, middle of next year.”
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