Joilton Lutterbach admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs before joining the UFC, leading to a 24-month suspension and termination of his contract after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
Joilton Lutterbach admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs before getting a short-notice opportunity with the UFC. Now, he’s facing the consequences.
On Tuesday, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced that Lutterbach accepted a 24-month sanction for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy. The test was administered on June 8, just two weeks before Lutterbach was set to face Shara Magomedov at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Lutterbach tested positive “for the presence of 3a-Hydroxy-2a-methyl-5a-androstan-17-one,” a metabolite of drostanolone. This is an anabolic steroid.
The 31-year-old learned of the positive test on June 20 while at the host hotel, merely two days before the event. According to the release, he admitted to “extensive use” of the banned substance prior to his signing. Because he didn’t declare the use ahead of time, Lutterbach received a harsher penalty.
Additionally, Lutterbach’s UFC contract was terminated due to the failed test and his admission — which he also shared on social media after being pulled from the card.
“I actually used juice three months ago and had no idea that I would sign with the UFC,” Lutterbach wrote at the time. “I could have hidden in the mountains or gone to Thailand to hide as many do and are not tested, but I preferred to take the risk and believe I was clean and fit to fight.”
Lutterbach will be eligible to return on June 23, 2026.