Gokhan Saricam has been suspended for one year by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for clomiphene, marking the first suspension under the new anti-doping program launched in partnership with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Gokhan Saricam has the dubious honor of becoming the first athlete to face suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency after partnering with the PFL to launch a new anti-doping program.
USADA officials announced on Thursday that Saricam has been suspended for one year. He tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene and its metabolites.
“Saricam, 33, tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolites as the result of samples collected out-of-competition on April 29, 2024, and May 12, 2024,” USADA officials said in a statement. “Because Saricam was not yet notified of the positive tests after both samples were collected, they were treated as a single violation.”
Clomiphene is a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators. It is prohibited at all times under the PFL Anti-Doping Policy and PFL Prohibited List.
“Saricam’s one-year period of ineligibility began on April 29, 2024,” USADA added. This date marks when his first positive sample was collected.
Saricam’s eligibility to compete again happens after April 29, 2025.
While Saricam is part of the PFL roster, he’s yet to actually compete for the promotion. He was scheduled to debut in June but ultimately did not fight.
Prior to his move to the PFL, Saricam competed under the Bellator banner. There he put together a 5-2 record including wins over Daniel James and Kirill Sidelnikov.
He’ll now have to wait until at least 2025 before he competes again.
The suspension from USADA comes after the PFL partnered with the anti-doping agency following a flurry of positive drug tests that ran rampant through the promotion’s 2023 season. A total of nine fighters tested positive for banned substances while competing in Nevada.
This led to the promotion creating an anti-doping program. Of course, USADA previously administered UFC’s anti-doping program but split at the end of 2023 in a tumultuous breakup.
USADA then moved on to partner with PFL on a new anti-doping program that launched in 2024.