Ovince Saint Preux accepts suspension for second USADA violation

Ovince Saint Preux has been suspended by USADA for his second violation.

USADA announced that Saint Preux accepted a six-month sanction for his second violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.  Saint Preux tested positive for 3α-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one (a long-term metabolite of 1-Androstenedione and/or 1-Testosterone) as the result of urine samples collected out-of-competition on June 17, 2023, and July 11, 2023.

Although two tests came back positive, USADA reveals that because Ovince Saint Preux was not yet notified of his first positive test when his second test was collected, the two positive tests are combined into a single violation.

The USADA report does reveal that Ovince Saint Preux was found in a tainted supplement after he provided a container of a product he was using for analysis, which proved it was from a tainted supplement. However, Saint Preux was still handed a suspension and will be eligible to return on Dec. 17, 2023.

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Saint Preux was suspended back in 2019

The first time Ovince Saint Preux tested positive for a USADA test was from a contaminated supplement. He had served a three-month period of ineligibility in October 2019.

Ovince Saint Preux (26-17) is coming off a 49-second KO loss to Philipe Lins back in February. Prior to that, he scored a split decision win over Shogun Rua at UFC 274 which snapped his two-fight losing skid.

Saint Preux has been in the UFC since 2013 and is 14-12 inside the Octagon. In his career, he holds notable wins over Shogun Rua, twice, Corey Anderson, Tyson Pedro, Nikita Krylov, and Alonzo Menifield among others.

Once Saint Preux serves his suspension it’s uncertain who and when will he fight again. But, given that the UFC usually takes the last two weeks off in December, Saint Preux likely won’t return until 2024 at the earliest.