UFC quietly releases former champ following failed drug test

Former LFA champion Carlos Mota was expected to breathe new life into a stalled 125-pound division, which spent the last two years trying to settle the score between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. Instead, the 27 year-old Brazilian was cut from the promotion after flunking a UFC drug test last fall.

That’s according to a report from MMA Fighting.

Mota tested positive for the metabolic modulator meldonium in the wake of his unanimous decision loss to Cody Durden at UFC Vegas 63 and will now have to fork over a whopping $2,848 in fines. In addition, the 8-2 Brazilian was suspended for two years by NSAC and won’t be eligible to return to MMA until Oct. 29, 2024.

Even Durden thought the punishment was excessive.

“How did they come up with two years? That’s harsh,” Durden wrote on Twitter. “Give the man some slack. One year would suffice IMO.”

Prior to his lone appearance under the UFC banner, Mota was king of the flyweight castle for LFA, laying waste to Rizvan Abuev by way of first-round knockout roughly two months before his Octagon debut. Unfortunately his suspension will be honored by neighboring commissions, so Mota is out of work for the next two years.