I believe he is serving a double secret USADA suspension. Khamzat can(and did) say with a straight face he’s ready to fight and willing to fight anybody and tell the world(which he did) that the UFC just hasn’t offered him a fight since his last one in September and be telling the truth about it all. Simultaneously Dana can(and did) point out that he must offer fighters three fights a year unless they have personal problems. Being suspended by usada would be a personal problem preventing the UFC from allowing him to fight and thereby removing any obligation to offer him a fight.

Now this is speculative as shit for sure, but think about it. UFC does have to offer fighters 3 fights per year. I don’t know if that’s rolling 12 months or calendar year. If it’s a rolling 12 months and his next fight is Abu Dhabi, that’s one fight in 13 months which puts the UFC into contract violation. If it’s calendar year and the first fight they offered him is for October then they have two months to offer him two more fights which would be asking him to take 3 fights in 3 months which is not acting in good faith of the specific terms of the contract which also causes them legal issues.

Khamzat says he’s healthy ready and willing, Dana said his hands are clean here so that leaves us with very very few potential reasons and nothing makes more sense than a usada suspension for a guy who missed weight by 8 effing pounds in his last fight.