Y. Rodriguez ended up suspended for six months for failing to update his whereabouts information. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Current number four in featherweight (up to 65,7kg.), Yair Rodriguez joined the list of athletes punished by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency). What is surprising in this case is that the athlete was not caught using prohibited substances. The Mexican was suspended for six months after failing to declare his whereabouts to professionals, making the entity's recurring tests difficult. In a note released this Thursday (3), USADA explained what happened.
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“Rodriguez did not update his whereabouts information and was not available for testing at the locations provided in his whereabouts files on three occasions. He has accumulated one failure in each of the first three quarters of 2020. The accumulation of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period constitutes a policy violation under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy,” they stated.
“Like all UFC athletes, Rodriguez, 28, is a member of the UFC Registered Testing Pool and is therefore subject to certain whereabouts responsibilities that allow him to be located for testing. Whereabouts information is a crucial component of an effective out-of-competition testing program because it allows anti-doping organizations to conduct unannounced sample collections, which helps maintain effective deterrence and detection of doping,” they concluded.
Great promise for the division led by Alexander VolkanovskyIn October, Yair completed a year without performing professionally. The athlete has not lost since 2017 and is coming off a victory over Jeremy Stephens.
The fighter was involved in negotiations to face the current number three in the rankings, Zabit Magomedsharipov, in one of the most anticipated clashes in the category's recent history. The clash, however, ended up not happening in 2020 and, apparently, will continue to be postponed by the company.
At 28 years old, Rodriguez now has 16 appearances as a professional in MMA. In the sport since 2011, the Mexican has won 13 triumphs, has two setbacks and one match without result.
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