Anti-Doping
Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced today that Volkan Oezdemir of Fribourg, Switzerland, has accepted a sixteen (16)-month period of ineligibility for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP).
Oezdemir tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO), a Prohibited Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics of the UFC Prohibited List. EPO was detected in both urine and blood samples collected out-of-competition from Oezdemir on February 16, 2026, and March 5, 2026, in Le Mouret, Switzerland.
Upon being contacted by CSAD, Oezdemir immediately provided full and complete cooperation with CSAD’s investigation. He produced extensive evidence, including numerous text message exchanges, showing that following his most recent UFC bout in November of 2025, he was contacted unsolicited by a local pharmacist, who promised he could improve Oezdemir’s performance. The evidence demonstrated that although Oezdemir was initially skeptical, the pharmacist ultimately persuaded him to use EPO by assuring him that the UFC ADP would be unable to detect it.
After reviewing the evidence, CSAD referred the matter to representatives of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). WADA subsequently connected CSAD with Swiss law enforcement authorities, who expressed an interest in interviewing Oezdemir. CSAD facilitated contact between Oezdemir and the Swiss investigators, and Oezdemir continued his full cooperation by participating in a formal interview and providing the Swiss authorities with the same evidence and information he had previously submitted to CSAD.
Under the UFC ADP, CSAD may, in its sole discretion, reduce or suspend a period of ineligibility when an athlete provides full and complete cooperation. After considering all of the evidence, including that Oezdemir did not seek out EPO and the level of transparency that Oezdemir demonstrated throughout the investigation, CSAD determined that a reduced sanction of sixteen (16)-months was appropriate.
Oezdemir’s period of ineligibility began on February 16, 2026, the date his samples were collected. He will be eligible to compete in UFC bouts again beginning on June 17, 2027.
CSAD independently administers the UFC’s year-round anti-doping program. Sample collections under the UFC ADP are conducted by Drug Free Sport International (DFSI), a global anti-doping organization with more than 5,000 trained collection personnel worldwide. All samples are analyzed at the WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
For more information about the UFC ADP, including policies, athlete testing statistics, and guidance on the use of third-party tested and certified dietary supplements, visit ufcantidoping.com. Resources are available in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.
CSAD also maintains a confidential reporting mechanism for known or suspected performance-enhancing drug use in the UFC at tipline@csad.org.