UFC on FOX 19 loses another bout as Islam Makhachev pulled for USADA violation

The news keeps rolling in regarding Saturday's (April 15, 2016) UFC on FOX 19 card.

First, Lightweight contender Tony Ferguson was pulled due to injury, then former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida was forced to withdraw after violating U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) policy, and now it seems as if Lightweight Islam Makhachev will no longer be competing opposite Drew Dober due to failing his own drug test.

The disappointing news was broke by Ariel Helwani earlier tonight via Twitter:

Tomorrow's Makhachev vs. Dober fight is off, per sources. I'm told Makhachev was flagged for a banned substance. ...

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 15, 2016

Ironically, Makhachev initially missed weight at Friday's UFC on FOX 19 weigh ins. He did eventually make the 156-pound benchmark within the one-hour allowance.

UFC officials released the following statement pertaining to the failed drug test:

"The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informed Islam Makhachev of a potential Anti-Doping Policy Violation involving Meldonium, a prohibited substance, stemming from a recent out-of-competition sample collection. In accordance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, Makhachev has received a provisional suspension, and has been removed from his scheduled bout against Drew Dober from Saturday’s card in Tampa, Florida.

"The UFC Anti-Doping Program follows the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List of Substances, which is updated yearly. Meldonium was recently added to the WADA Prohibited List, which went into effect on January 1, 2016. WADA recently announced that they are currently conducting further studies of the substance which may influence how cases involving Meldonium are evaluated. In order to ensure Makhachev receives full and fair due process, USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will consider all relevant information before making any determinations.

Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”

This is terrible news for a FOX card that continues to lose steam just 24 hours before fight night.