UFC News: Khalil Rountree Jr.’s Wife Breaks Silence as DHEA Confession Forces Mia Kang to Come Clean – “Our Family Will Continue to Suffer”

Things were going great for Khalil Rountree Jr. On a five-fight undefeated streak, ‘War Horse’ was coming off of a highlight reel knockout of UFC veteran Anthony Smith at their Fight Night clash last year. And the stars were aligning perfectly for a title shot soon, as he was scheduled to face former champion Jamahal Hill next month. But everything changed on May 18, as Rountree Jr. revealed that he had accidentally consumed DHEA, a banned substance under the UFC’s in-house anti-doping agency. According to the LA native, this was because of a mix-up.

A personalized tailored supplements service company, according to him, sent him a blended supplement tainted with the substance. The light heavyweight contacted the relevant authorities himself after learning of this and therefore has been banned and is out of his UFC 303 co-main event bout against ‘Sweet Dreams’. And Rountree’s wife, Mia Kang, was heartbroken.

Following her husband’s example, Mia Kang, too, took to social media and shared a saddening message, expressing her sincere regrets at the whole affair, and revealing the effect it will have on her family. Since ‘War Horse’ will no longer be fighting at UFC 303, he will not get paid and has come under scrutiny from the MMA world, at which she was deeply pained.

“Our family will continue to suffer from this negligence – financially, emotionally, professionally, but what saddens me most is that I never want Khalil’s reputation to be harmed. He is a good man, with good intentions, a giant heart, he works hard, he would never cheat, he prides himself on trying to become the best person he possibly can be,” she wrote.

Kang was most heartbroken, however, at the prospect of her husband’s exemplary character and integrity being questioned because of the accidental PED ingestion. She went on to apologize to the fans and even Hill for this, promising her husband would be back stronger than ever because “he was made for” the big stage.

“He will be back, because he was made for this and deserves it all. Sincerest apologies to our friends, the fans, Khalil’s opponent, the UFC and anyone we have disappointed. This has caused us a pain we have never felt before,” she added. But, what is DHEA, which Rountree accidentally consumed?

What is DHEA? The banned substance Khalil Rountree Jr. consumed

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), for which Rountree is serving a suspension and has withdrawn from the Hill fight, is naturally produced in the adrenal glands of the body. A hormone precursor to both testosterone and estrogen, it is classified as an Anabolic Agent and thus banned by the UFC (and many other anti-doping agencies), despite its natural occurrence in the body.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): “It is generally accepted in the sporting world that DHEA use enhances physical performance, and DHEA therefore figures on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances in sports, both in and out of competition.” 

Speaking about how it works once in the body, the agency says that: “DHEA is a weak androgen that needs conversion to more potent testosterone, and the assumption is that athletes expect a significant increase in circulating testosterone through exogenous DHEA administration, with a subsequent improvement in performance.”

Khalil Rountree Jr. has done all the right things that he could have done. And he did that despite the certainty that he would lose a six-figure payday, a possible shot at the light heavyweight title next, and the eyebrows it would raise. Which is why, given this version of events, it seems Mia Kang is very justified in being heartbroken.

What are your thoughts about the whole fiasco? Let us know in the comments.