Another day, another UFC fighter gets flagged for a possible doping violation.
The UFC announced on UFC.com that middleweight Ricardo Abreu was given notice of a potential USADA violation.
“The UFC organization was formally notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Ricardo Abreu of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection taken on December 21, 2016.
“Abreu is currently serving a two-year suspension under the UFC Anti-Doping Program, after the anabolic steroid metabolites 19-norandrosterone (19-NA) and 19-noretiocholanolone were detected in a sample collected from Abreu on June 3, 2016. Under his current suspension, Abreu is not eligible to return to competition until July 1, 2018.
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.
“Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
Abreu made his UFC debut in June and lost to Jake Collier by split decision. No word on whether Abreu will request a ‘B’ sample to be tested.