UFC women's strawweight contender Iasmin Lucindo will miss nearly a year of competition after accepting a nine-month anti-doping suspension stemming from a positive test for mesterolone, an anabolic steroid typically used to treat low testosterone. The suspension, announced Wednesday by UFC anti-doping partner Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), serves as a cautionary tale for fighters navigating the murky waters of supplementation in combat sports.

The 24-year-old Brazilian tested positive from an out-of-competition sample collected on September 24, 2025, in her home country. The positive result derailed her momentum heading into the final months of 2025, forcing her withdrawal from a December 13 main card bout against Gillian Robertson at UFC on ESPN 73. With the suspension retroactive to the sample collection date, Lucindo will be cleared to compete again on June 24, 2026.

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What sets this case apart from typical anti-doping violations is CSAD's determination that Lucindo did not intentionally use mesterolone to gain a competitive advantage. The investigation concluded that her positive test resulted from a contaminated dietary supplement she obtained from a Brazilian pharmacy known for compounding products containing the banned substance. Lucindo cooperated fully throughout the investigation and provided documentation supporting her claim of inadvertent ingestion.

The contaminated supplement defense has become increasingly common in combat sports, highlighting a persistent vulnerability in how fighters source nutritional products. Unlike pharmaceutical companies regulated by rigorous FDA standards, supplement manufacturers operate in a less stringent regulatory environment where cross-contamination and mislabeling can occur. For fighters competing internationally, particularly those based in countries with less oversight, the risk becomes even more pronounced.