Italian Commission Overturns UFC Fighter Mara Romero Borella’s Win From 2014

It appears that Mara Romero Borella has lost a victory that occurred nearly four years ago.

Last week, 32-year-old “Maravilla” was handed a 26-year suspension from Italy’s National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO Italy) for a violation of WADA guidelines.

Borella was busted in 2012 along with her boyfriend at the time for distribution of marijuana and cocaine. The so-called operation “Flanker” led to the arrest of 35 people, including the UFC women’s flyweight contender. Furthermore, NADO Italy banned “Maravilla” from competition for 15 years in 2014. As far as last week, Borella has been charged by the Italian Anti Doping Agency with two further violations, including being involved in and/or attending events sponsored by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). These actions were specifically prohibited as part of the previous suspension.

Tuesday morning, Italian Federation of MMA (FIGMMA) overturned a victory at Colsseum MMA in the Cage in December 2014 to a no contest. Borella defeated Donatella Panu via armbar in the opening stanza of their scheduled bout. After the discovery that “Maravilla” was prohibited to compete in that event, FIGMMA (Federazione Italiana Grappling Mixed Martial Arts) overturned the decision.

It’s important to note that FIGMMA is not the Italian Athletic Commission, since MMA’s status in Italy is still not really clear. MMA is not prohibited in Italy, yet it is not acknowledged by CONI as a professional sport.