Rountree took banned substance, out of UFC 303

Khalil Rountree is out of his UFC 303 co-main event fight with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill.

According to Rountree, he unintentionally took a banned substance and immediately took it upon himself to report it Senior Vice President of Anti-doping compliance, Jeff Novitzky and UFC Vice President of Anti-doping compliance, Donna Marshall.

The rising light heavyweight took to Instagram to make the announcement.

“I’m gutted to deliver this news to you all, but I will not be fighting at UFC 303 due to consuming a banned substance,” Rountree posted. “I did not do this intentionally and I am doing everything I can to get this situation taken care of.”

Rountree said that he was using a personalized tailored supplement service and was accidentally provided with a blended supplement that contained the banned substance DHEA. Rountree said that he was unaware of the ingredients of the supplement until after he consumed it.

“I’ve provided them with all of the information to show that this was not a matter of cheating or to enhance performance,” Rountree continued. “My sincerest apologies to you all and to Jamahal for this unfortunate series of events.”

A representative from the UFC confirmed Rountree’s removal from UFC 303 and the promotion is actively looking for a replacement to face Hill.

Rountree was riding high on a five fight winning streak with a knockout victory over Anthony Smith in December catapulting him to be the UFC’s #8 ranked light heavyweight.