On the heels of news that Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie would be competing for the inaugural women’s featherweight championship at UFC 208, it has now been revealed that the UFC has been notified of a failed drug test from Cris Cyborg.
The UFC released a statement on their website:
“The UFC organization was formally notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on December 5, 2016.
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.”
Cyborg and the UFC both have stated that the reason she turned down a featherweight title fight was because she would be unable to make weight so quickly after her fight with Lina Lansberg in Brazil earlier this year, where Cyborg reportedly had a brutal weight cut, cutting nearly 10 pounds in 24 hours.