Danylo Voievodkin won’t be making his UFC debut anytime soon.
On Thursday, the UFC revealed Voievodkin accepted a 24-month suspension from Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) for a violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy. With no mitigating factors, Voievodkin is now not eligible to compete until Nov. 10, 2026.
Per the release, Voievodkin tested positive for meldonium, a prohibited substance under the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators on the UFC’s banned substances list. Voievodkin tested positive from an out-of-competition sample collected on Oct. 17 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Per the USADA website, meldonium is an anti-ischemic drug that “may increase endurance, improve rehabilitation following exercise, and enhance activations of the central nervous system.” Meldonium was added to the WADA banned list in 2016 and was famously responsible for tennis star Maria Sharapova’s drug test failure at the Australian Open in 2016.
The 24-year-old undefeated Ukranian fighter competed on week seven of the most recent season of Contender Series, submitting Bailey Schoenfelder with a first-round rear-naked choke and earning a UFC contract. Per the release, CSAD determined that Voievodkin’s offending meldonium usage took place after his Contender Series bout.
MMA Fighting confirmed that following the suspension, Voievodkin was released from the UFC.
