Heavyweight prospect, undefeated fighter is fired from UFC before even making his debut for the organization

Ukrainian prospect Danylo Voievodkin has been fired from the UFC (Photo: Instagram)

Danylo Voievodkin's performance in his submission victory over Bailey Schoenfelder in the last season of the Contender Series, in 2024, excited Dana White and many fans about the imminence of a new prospect for the UFC's shallow heavyweight division (up to 120,2 kg). What was an expectation, however, turned into disappointment in a few months after the Ukrainian prospect was fired before even debuting for the organization.

In an official statement, the Ultimate announced that the 24-year-old athlete was banned from competitions for 24 months and, consequently, cut from the organization's roster after being caught in a doping test for using the substance meldonium, the same one used by tennis player Maria Sharapova in 2016.

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“The evidence in this case reflected that sometime after Voievodkin competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2024, where he received a UFC contract, he used meldonium after being placed on the UFC Anti-Doping Program’s Registered Testing list,” the statement said.

Danylo Voievodkin spoke about the incident in a video published on social media, stating that he had not received adequate advice from his team.

“A lot of questions about this. I will say that the test done a month and a half later came back negative. Meldonium is taken for almost a year. They said that if I confessed, they would cut a year off my sentence, but I stood my ground. But my managers did nothing about this situation,” he said.