UFC welterweight Bassil Hafez has announced he has been suspended by the UFC and CSAD after testing positive for a banned substance.
The 34-year-old Hafez took to his social media on Tuesday to announce the suspension himself, before the UFC and CSAD (Combat Sports Anti-Doping) made it official in a press release.
Bassil Hafez Announces UFC Suspension
Here’s what Hafez wrote on his Instagram.
“I have bad news for you guys. I’ve been suspended by the UFC and CSAD because of a mistake that happened during my recovery. I took a supplement during my healing process that ended up containing a banned substance. I had provided the clinic with the banned substance list and made it clear that those ingredients were not allowed, but it still ended up being included in the mix. At the end of the day, it falls on me for not double and triple checking before taking it,” Hafez wrote.
“Being injured and sidelined from the sport I’ve spent the last 16 years training for has been incredibly rough, both mentally and physically. The could’ve, would’ve, should’ve won’t change anything now. I’ve been tested my entire career (17 times to be exact) and have never had a positive test or any issues before this. All I can say is that mistakes happen, and I’ll learn from this. Now it’s time to accept the outcome, move forward, and do better in the future. I can’t wait to see you guys in the Octagon again. All love. Your support is always appreciated.”
Bassil Hafez Joined the UFC in 2023
Hafez was a former CFFC and Fury FC welterweight champion, and he joined the UFC in 2023, when he fought future UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena on short notice. Despite taking the fight with very little preparation, Hafez performed extremely well, ultimately losing a close split decision in a fight that some fans and media believe he won.
In his second UFC fight, he defeated Mickey Gall by unanimous decision in 2024. Then, he lost via TKO to Oban Elliott in his third UFC bout, dropping his promotional record to 1-2.
Overall, Hafez holds a 9-5-1 MMA record.
It will be interesting to see if the UFC decides to keep Hafez on the roster or if the promotion decides to release him in the wake of this unfortunate positive test for banned substances. Even if Hafez is being truthful about it being a mistake, and there’s no reason to think he isn’t, the suspension would still keep him on the sidelines for a while. Given he hasn’t fought in almost two years, that’s a long time to be away from the Octagon, and with the UFC recently releasing a slew of fighters, it wouldn’t be a complete shock to see Hafez join the list.
Overall, Hafez had a decent run in the UFC. The Della Maddalena performance was a really good one, especially given the short notice and the fact that Della Maddalena later became a UFC champion, but the loss to Elliott was a tough look. That loss, combined with the lack of activity inside the Octagon and this positive drug test, might not be enough for him to stick around the roster any longer.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Bassil Hafez Announces UFC Suspension appeared first on HEAVY.