UFC Lightweight Felipe Olivieri Faces Potential Anti-Doping Violation

UFC lightweight Felipe Olivieri is facing a possible UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation for an out-of-competition sample collected prior to his loss to Tony Martin at UFC on Fox 18 on Jan. 30.

The Las Vegas-based promotion released a statement regarding Olivieri’s failed drug test on Friday.

“Although the sample collected from Olivieri following his bout at UFC Fight Night: Johnson vs. Bader on January 30, 2016, was reported as negative for prohibited substances, a sample collected from him in Brazil earlier that month, and analyzed at the WADA accredited laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, was recently reported to USADA as containing a prohibited substance,” the statement read.

As the administrator of the UFC’s anti-doping policy, USADA will handle the “results management and appropriate adjudication” of the Olivieri case moving forward.

“Because Olivieri participated in a bout sanctioned by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board after the sample in question was collected, USADA will work to ensure that the Board has the necessary information to determine the appropriate course of action under the Board’s rules,” the statement added.

Olivieri lost to Martin via third-round rear-naked choke at UFC on Fox 18, which took place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The event marked the Nova Uniao product’s Octagon debut and was also his first bout in the United States.