AKAThailand.TVEverything was going so well for Jesse Taylor. To get notified of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation is absolutely heartbreaking for him.
After making it to the finale of his first stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Taylor got booted after the show because of his behavior. Nine long years later he made it back to the TUF finale and won the whole TUF: Redemption tournament. He won $250,000 and was signed to the UFC. It was truly a ‘feel-good’ story.
Today, USADA informed the UFC that Taylor has potentially failed an ‘out-of-competition’ drug test from his TUF Finale fight.
The UFC released a statement on UFC.com about Taylor.
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jesse Taylor of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on August 22, 2017. Because of the proximity to Taylor’s upcoming scheduled bout in Sydney, Australia on November 18, 2017, against Belal Muhammad, Taylor has been removed from the card and the UFC is currently seeking a replacement.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Taylor. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”