Alen Amedovski Accepts Reduced Suspension for Marijuana

Alen Amedovski accepted a six month sanction from USADA for in-competition use of Carboxy-THC.

The suspension was reduced to three months after completing a drug awareness program.

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Amedovski lost his debut against Krzysztof Jotko earlier this year in St. Petersburg, Russia. pic.twitter.com/nODRoXnHh6

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) July 18, 2019

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Alen Amedovski has accepted a reduced suspension after testing positive for marijuana.

According to the U.S. Anti-Doping agency on Thursday, Amedovski tested positive for Carboxyl-THC, the metabolite of cannabis/marijuana, from an in-competition test at UFC Fight Night 149 on April 20. He was originally issued a six-month suspension, but after participating in a drug awareness program, his sentence was cut down to three months.

Amedovski faced Krzysztof Jotko in his UFC debut and lost a unanimous decision in St. Petersburg, Russia. The loss was the first time the Macedonian fighter had ever gone the distance, as the Bellator MMA vet was signed by the UFC with a perfect record of 8-0 with eight knockouts within two rounds.

On Tuesday, the UFC announced that Amedovski (8-1) would be facing John Phillips (21-9) at UFC Fight Night 160 in Copenhagen, Denmark in September. That event will be headlined by a middleweight battle between Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier.

USADA's statement regarding Amedovski is as follows:

USADA announced today that Alen Amedovski, of Trento, Italy, has accepted a six-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for a prohibited substance.

Amedovski, 31, tested positive for Carboxy-THC, the pharmacologically-active cannabinoid metabolite of cannabis, marijuana and/or hashish, at a urinary concentration exceeding the Decision Limit for this Threshold Substance, stemming from an in-competition sample collected on April 20, 2019, at Fight Night 149 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Cannabis, marijuana and hashish are in the class of Cannabinoids and are Specified Substances prohibited in-competition under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

Amedovski accepted a six-month period of ineligibility, which began on April 20, 2019, the day his positive sample was collected. Based on Amedovski’s successful completion of a USADA approved drug awareness and management program, his period of ineligibility was reduced by three months.