Ultimate Fighter Brazil alum and UFC light heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima has been pulled from the UFC Rotterdam card this September. The UFC announced the news Friday via its official website. The move comes as a result of a potential USADA violation for Rogerio de Lima. UFC Rotterdam (UFC Fight Night 115) takes place September 2 at the Ahoy Rotterdam arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Rogerio de Lima, currently fighting at light heavyweight, was set to face Saparbek Safarov at the event.
In a statement, the promotion said that
The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Marcos Rogerio de Lima of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on August 1, 2017. Marcos was scheduled to compete at UFC Fight Night: Struve vs. Volkov in Rotterdam, Netherlands on September 2, 2017. USADA has provisionally suspended Rogerio de Lima based on the potential anti-doping violation. Given the provisional suspension and the proximity of the Rotterdam event, Rogerio de Lima has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Rogerio de Lima. 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.
In recent bouts, Marcos Rogerio de Lima (15–5–1) had been trading wins and losses. Having fought as high as heavyweight during his career and as far down as middleweight, he had also missed weight in two consecutive bouts prior to his UFC Rotterdam booking. In his last fight, he was finished by Ovince St. Preux via Von Flue Choke.
No word yet on who Rogerio de Lima’s replacement might be. UFC Fight Night 115 features a heavyweight main event with Stefan Struve taking on Alexander Volkov.
