Potential USADA violation shakes up UFC fight card in Brazil

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was forced to make some changes to its upcoming UFC Fight Night 119 mixed martial arts (MMA) event on FOX Sports 1, taking place Sat., Oct. 28, 2017, inside Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

That’s because Brazilian heavyweight Carlos Felipe was flagged by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after returning positive results from an out-of-competition drug test back in July.

From the promotion's official statement:

The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Carlos Felipe of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on July 29, 2017. Because of the proximity to Felipe’s upcoming scheduled bout in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 28, 2017, against Christian Columbo, Felipe has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Felipe. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.

Felipe (8-0) was making his Octagon debut.

UFC Fight Night 119 will be headlined by the return of former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, who collides with middleweight stalwart Derek Brunson in the five-round main event.

To see the current UFC “Sao Paulo” fight card and line up click here.