Andrea Lea issues statement on UFC 216 fallout - ‘I’m not on drugs nor am I or have I taken any steroids’

It was an up-and-down week for Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) women’s flyweight champion Andrea Lee. After being signed by UFC to compete against Kalindra Faria at UFC 216 on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada, “KGB” was removed from the card due to United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) regulations.

Basically, a failed drug test for diuretics back in 2016 prohibited Lee from competing on such short notice. According to USADA rule, Lee has to undergo six months of testing before she can step foot inside of the Octagon because of the prior violation.

As you could have imagined, Lee was not happy. In fact, her camp, alongside UFC, weren’t aware of the USADA regulation and was fully expecting Lee to compete at UFC 216.

“So, obviously I won’t be fighting next weekend, USADA is making me undergo the ‘USADA testing pool’ which requires me to take a bunch of random test over a period of 6 months BEFORE I can step into the UFC octagon,” Lee wrote via Instragram. “This is all because of the diuretic (a.k.a fluid pill) I took in 2016. I figured that when I was off my suspension that I wouldn’t have to deal with that anymore, obviously I was wrong. It’s not the UFC’s fault because they didn’t know about this USADA rule. I’m still signing a fight contract with UFC, that hasn’t changed, I just have to enroll in this program now so my time can start ticking. Look for me to fight next year the end of March or early April.

P.S. I’m not on drugs nor am I or have I taken any steroids. I’ve passed ALL my random drug tests this year. Thank you for your support.”

This is certainly a difficult situation for Lee. Not only does this regulation nix her anticipated Octagon debut in a newly-instated UFC flyweight division, but it will keep her on the sidelines for at least six months. That may not bode well for “KGB” considering she’s an extremely active fighter (Lee has already fought four times in 2017).

In any case, rules are rules. The 125-pound class will be waiting for Lee when she’s cleared to compete under the UFC banner and should take instant notice once the LFA champ lets loose.