Khalil Rountree Jr. was not having a very good time before UFC 303 because he had a failed PED test and was shelved from the fight against Jamahal Hill. However, the twist to the story is that he came forward with the anomaly himself and was then suspended for a short while. Luckily for him, the circumstances proved favourable and he was not suspended for a long time which had given him the leverage to come back at UFC 307.

Now why was his case a little different and what PED did he test positive for?

Which substance did Khalil Rountree Jr. test positive for?

The combatant with a 5 fight-winning streak could have been propelled to title contender status if he had a win over Jamahal Hill. However, the Nevada native had to wait for his shot at gold because he tested positive for using Dehydroepiandrosterone (͏DHEA). Surprisingly, he was the one who revealed the same to UFC. Rountree was internally suspended by UFC for 2 months because of the positive test and this was announced by the UFC anti-doping program Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD).

According to the CSAD, Rountree had self-reported the accidental intake of a blended fitness supplement that supposedly had DHEA. This claim was consistent with a sample tested on May 4th, 2024 by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL).

‘The War Horse’ posted about the whole ordeal on his social media and said that he was not fighting UFC 303. His wife Mia Kang also posted on her Instagram handle and informed about the suspension. Interestingly, he came clean about this himself and denied taking the substance knowingly. He revealed that he had employed a personalized supplement entity that formulated the supplements for him. However, despite their keen research, there was a slip-up.

“They accidentally sent a blended supplement to me that contained a banned substance called DHEA (which is prohibited at all times under the UFC anti-doping policy. Only after I consumed it was its ingredients brought to my attention,” he added. The light heavyweight combatant immediately informed the concerned authorities about the miscalculation but it was too late. Or was it?

Retroactive suspension for Khalil Rountree clears before UFC 307

Rountree Jr. might have been suspended from participating at UFC 303 but he is all geared up to fight Alex Pereira at UFC 307. This is because he received a suspension of 4.5 months retroactive, to the failed PED test which made him withdraw from the fight against Hill. This meant that he was cleared for the fight against Pereira on Oct 5.  He was also fined $157.04 for prosecution fees as part of the agreement approved by the commission. The commission even praised Rountree Jr for self-reporting the problem and being cooperative during the whole process.

“I’m glad he showed up, and the self-reporting had a great influence on the commission’s decision here,” NAC chairman Dallas Haun stated. He further said, “I applaud him for self-reporting.” Even ‘The War Horse’ spoke on the same and thanked the commission for their rapid investigation on the matter. “I just want to say thank you guys for looking into the details of the matter,” Rountree said. “It 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.”

So now that he is cleared for UFC 307 and going to fight ‘Poatan’, who do you think will win? Tell us your comments below.