Allan signed with the promotion one day after picking up a win in Brazil, agreeing to face Mike Rodriguez on short notice in California. He’d previously failed to win a UFC contract after a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Allan won via decision, but the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced months later that his test came back positive for tamoxifen, a hormone and metabolic modulator.
After receiving a one-year suspension, the Brazilian light heavyweight makes his return to the octagon on Dec. 5, battling Roman Dolidze in the main card of UFC Vegas 16 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Allan doesn’t deny using tamoxifen but said he had a reason for using it. Since he was a teenager, he’s dealt with gynecomastia, the enlargement or swelling of breast tissue in males.
“I kept postponing [the gynecomastia surgery] because I would have to stop training for two or three months, so I would always use the medicine,” Allan said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “Every time I started cutting weight and losing fat it would get inflamed, and I would take the medicine. I took it for that last fight, and it stayed in my system for two months.
Forced to stay on the sidelines for at least one year, Allan decided to finally undergo gynecomastia surgery so he would no longer need the medicine.
“I was tested again 10 days after and the substance wasn’t in my body anymore, so I was a bit unlucky that I got caught,” he said. “We appealed it, explained everything that happened, that it wasn’t something to gain performance or cheat. We think the punishment was unfair because we didn’t do anything wrong to cheat, but we understand the rules of the promotion and we have to face the music.”
The Brazilian fighter said he supports the USADA’s work, saying “it came to help the evolution of the sport.” He still doesn’t agree with his punishment. In the end, however, he saw it as a chance to evolve as a fighter before returning to action.
Allan had two fights booked at the same time at one point – a bout with Ed Herman on Sept. 12 and opposite Dolidze. But visa issues prevented him from traveling to the United States in September, so UFC Vegas 16 won the day.
The Chute Boxe fighter still hopes to face Herman in the first quarter of 2021 because “where I come from, we don’t turn down fights,” he said. “If they offer me a fight for three weeks from now, I’ll take it. If they book three or four fights in a row for me, I’ll fight them all and never choose opponents. I’ll be always ready.”
Allan’s first step is against Dolidze, and he foresees a dominant performance all around.
“The fact he’s undefeated means nothing to me,” Allan said of Dolidze, who improved to 7-0 in the sport with a first-round knockout over Khadis Ibragimov in his octagon debut in July. “He only has seven fights, I have three times that. I’m sure he’s a tough athlete and I respect any opponent, but I think I have what it takes to beat him.
“I think I’m superior in every aspect of the fight and I will use my experience. If he tries to take me down, I’ll catch him. If he stays on the feet, there’s a good chance I’ll knock him out. I’m confident in my performance.”
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