The highly anticipated UFC 307 main event is still a go, despite a recent hiccup involving fighter Khalil Rountree. On Thursday, the Nevada Athletic Commission handed down a relatively mild punishment to Rountree. He received a four-and-a-half-month suspension and was ordered to pay a modest fine of $157.04. The good news for fight fans is that Rountree’s suspension will conclude well before his October 5th clash with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in Salt Lake City.
Interestingly, the commission commended Rountree for his transparency and cooperation throughout the process. The 34-year-old fighter demonstrated accountability by attending the hearing in person. This responsible approach seems to have worked in his favor, as the UFC 307 headliner remains intact.
With these hurdles cleared, all eyes are now on what promises to be an electrifying bout between Rountree and Pereira.
“I’m glad he showed up, and the self-reporting obviously had a great influence on the commission’s decision here,” NAC chairman Dallas Haun said. “I applaud him for self-reporting.”
Rountree took the mic and expressed gratitude to the commission for digging into the situation. It turns out the UFC had already sidelined Rountree for a couple of months through their drug-testing program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping, after he flunked a drug screening on May 4. His pee sample showed traces of a muscle-building compound called DHEA.
CSAD reported that Rountree came forward about mistakenly consuming a mixed supplement containing DHEA. A follow-up test on May 4 by a specialized lab backed up Rountree’s account.
“I just want to say thank you guys for looking into the details of the matter,” Rountree said. “It definitely has made a huge difference in everything that’s happening right now in my life. I’m just really appreciative of you guys for taking the extra time to look into the details.”
Rountree beat everyone to the punch by announcing his test failure himself, which led to him being pulled from his big fight against Jamahal Hill on June 29 at UFC 303.
“CSAD has determined that Rountree’s actions after he determined the error, and the evidence of this case, fit these criteria, and thus CSAD is reducing the sanction against Rountree to 2 months,” CSAD said in a statement.
Rountree provided documents showing a supplement company had shipped him some “therapeutic blend” products without proper clearance. The company boss called this slip-up “a massive oversight on our part.”
After consulting with lab experts, CSAD concluded that the amount of DHEA Rountree ingested likely didn’t give him any significant edge in the ring.
