Magomedrasul Gasanov was removed from his scheduled fight against Abubakar Vagaev after UFC took issue with a substance detected in his testing. According to his sparring partner Ikram Aliskerov, Gasanov's most recent tests came back clean and he had not used anything prohibited for an extended period, but a prior substance that lingers in the body triggered the removal — a situation Aliskerov compared to the meldonium cases that previously affected other fighters.
Magomedrasul Gasanov has been pulled from his scheduled UFC bout against Abubakar Vagaev after the promotion flagged a substance detected during testing, it was confirmed on June 24.
Details of the removal emerged through Gasanov's sparring partner Ikram Aliskerov, a fellow Russian middleweight competing out of KHK MMA. Aliskerov stated that Gasanov's most recent tests returned clean and that he had not used any prohibited substance for an extended period. The issue, according to Aliskerov, stems from a prior substance that can linger in the body long after use — a scenario he compared to the meldonium situation that ensnared several fighters in previous years.
Aliskerov himself is an 18-2 middleweight known for aggressive, high-volume output. The 33-year-old southpaw stands six feet tall with a 76-inch reach and lands an exceptional 6.86 significant strikes per minute at 64 percent accuracy, while also threatening with 3.2 takedown attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Gasanov's removal leaves Vagaev without an opponent, creating a scheduling gap on the card.
- The lingering-substance explanation echoes the meldonium controversy, raising questions about how the UFC handles substances with extended detection windows.
- With no confirmed replacement announced, the situation remains unresolved heading into the event.
The circumstances surrounding Gasanov's case highlight ongoing complexity in how anti-doping frameworks account for substances that remain detectable well beyond their period of use, particularly when an athlete's more recent samples show no violation.
