BREAKING | Fabricio Werdum informed of potential anti-doping violation by USADA

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), has struck again. On Tuesday afternoon, the agency announced that former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has been informed of a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on April 25, 2018.

Per a UFC release:

The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Fabricio Werdum of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on April 25, 2018.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Werdum. 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.

The timing of this news is undeniably unfortunate, as Werdum was just yesterday linked to a fight with fellow grappling ace Alexey Oleynik. The pair’s heavyweight showdown was expected to headlined the UFC’s September 15 in Moscow, Russia — the promotion’s first stop in the country. Werdum’s brush with USADA is likely to derail this plan.

Fabricio Werdum last fought in March, when he surrendered an early lead to succumb to punches dealt by former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov. This loss was preceded by back-to-back wins over Walt Harris and Marcin Tybura. He’s 23-8-1 overall.

Stay tuned for more updates on this unfortunate Fabricio Werdum situation as they emerge.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/22/2018.