Ex-UFC title challenger Volkan Oezdemir suspended 16 months for EPO doping

Testing positive for a banned substance often brings serious consequences in sports, and a former UFC title challenger has now been penalized for crossing that line, resulting in a lengthy 16-month suspension.

Volkan Oezdemir, who challenged Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 220 in 2018 and lost via second-round TKO, failed a doping test back in February, testing positive for the banned substance EPO. Through social media, the 36-year-old light heavyweight contender clarified that a healthcare professional from his home country of Switzerland allegedly persuaded him to take it after they initially began discussing business opportunities.

"In February, I tested positive for EPO after following the recommendations of a healthcare professional," Oezdemir wrote on Instagram. "As an athlete, I am responsible for everything I put into my body. I made a mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. At the end of 2025, I competed in Qatar. A few days later, I was contacted on Instagram by a healthcare professional based in Switzerland. He introduced himself as a supporter and suggested that we meet.

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"During our first meeting, he told me about his connections with influential people, investment opportunities in one of the Gulf states and potential prospects for my career after retirement from sport. He also mentioned the possibility of patronage. I was 36 years old and thinking about life after my sporting career. So I was interested."

According to Oezdemir, after the initial meeting, his conversation with the Switzerland-based healthcare professional took a complete turn — shifting from business discussions to his personal recovery. The No. 8 ranked UFC light heavyweight revealed that he had been dealing with an ankle injury after his fight against Alonzo Menifield at UFC Qatar last year. The individual, whose identity Oezdemir chose not to reveal, allegedly presented him with a "plan" to recover within two months, describing the substance as "safe."

It ultimately turned out to be EPO therapy, which the UFC veteran ended up taking — a decision he now regrets after being handed a suspension.

"I was recovering from ankle surgery," Oezdemir confessed. "The healthcare professional and I met again. The conversation shifted. He no longer talked about business but about my recovery. He presented me with a plan that, according to him, would get me back to peak physical condition within two months.

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"He showed me a substance that he described as safe and undetectable. He had prepared a vial of EPO. He told me not to tell anyone about it. I complied. I gave myself the first injection that same evening. That was my decision. And it was the biggest mistake of my life."

What Is EPO?

Erythropoietin, better known as EPO, increases red blood cell production in the body, allowing more oxygen to reach the muscles and giving fighters considerably better endurance. In professional competition, the substance can provide an athlete with a significant advantage over an opponent. For that reason, it is considered a banned substance.

A Clean Record Until Now

Volkan Oezdemir's case is surprising because he had never tested positive for any banned substance before and had maintained a clean record until this incident.

Originally posted on EssentiallySports by Biplob Chakraborty | Last updated July 18, 2026