UFC title challenger Volkan Oezdemir says he injected steroid and announces ban
UFC light-heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir has said he took the steroid EPO (Erythropoietin), a banned, performance-enhancing drug that can only be taken by injection.
Light-heavyweight Oezdemir, who failed to dethrone then-champion Daniel Cormier in 2018, claimed he is now undertaking a 16-month ban.
“I have an announcement to make, and it’s a difficult one,” the Swiss fighter wrote on Instagram. “I made a mistake, and I’ll explain why in the hope of helping other athletes.”
Oezdemir, 36, then uploaded a series of slides containing further text, beginning: “In February, I tested positive for EPO after following the recommendations of a healthcare professional. As an elite 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. 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 my 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. I was recovering from ankle surgery. 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.
“He showed me a substance that he described as safe and undetectable. He had prepared a vial of EPO,” Oezdemir alleged. “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.
“Three days later, the Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) team came to my home to conduct an anti-doping test. On March 5, I was informed that my test had come back positive. In that moment, the illusion was shattered, and my reality changed. But in a way, it was also a relief.
“I decided to tell the UFC everything. I cooperated immediately. I did the same with CSAD. In the end, I received a 16-month suspension in light of my cooperation and the mitigating circumstances: a healthcare professional played a significant role; he initially approached me under the pretense of discussing business; he had prepare the substances himself and provided them to me free of charge.”
Oezdemir added: “I let down my sport, my fans, and ultimately, myself. To everyone who has supported me – my family, my loved one, and my supporters – I am deeply sorry.”
Oezdemir’s last outing, a first-round stoppage of Alonzo Menifield in November, took his professional record to 21-8. He was 15-1 when he fought Cormier for the UFC light-heavyweight title in 2018, and has since gone 6-7.
The Independent has contacted CSAD and the UFC for comment.
Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw famously admitted to using EPO in March 2019, and he subsequently received a one-year ban, which was backdated to January 2019. The announcement came after he failed to take the flyweight title from Henry Cejudo, suffering a first-round TKO loss in their fight.
