An anti-doping violation under USADA has scrapped the UFC Moscow main event before it ever got off the ground. As a result, we may not be seeing Fabricio Werdum for a while.
Just a day after word made the rounds that former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was to take part in the UFC Moscow main event, the fight has likely fallen through. On Tuesday, the UFC released a statement confirming it had been notified by USADA that Werdum had failed a drug test. Given the proximity of the fight (September) and the long, slow process that USADA cases generally go through, it’s almost a given that the heavyweight will not be available for the UFC’s Russian debut.
Per Tuesday’s statement, “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.”
As is standard policy in anti-doping cases, the name of the substance(s) Werdum tested positive for will not be available until after the legal process plays out.
Werdum was last seen in action at UFC London in March, where he was finished off by Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov. He had been expected to face Oleksiy Oliynyk at UFC Fight Night 136 in Moscow, the promotion’s debut in the nation. Prior to that, he had won two straight, against Walt Harris and Marcin Tybura.
Werdum won the UFC heavyweight championship in 2015, submitting Cain Velasquez via guillotine in Mexico City to capture the title. However, his first title defense ended in disaster when he charged towards challenger Stipe Miocic, effectively running into a knockout punch. Miocic has since gone on to set the UFC record for heavyweight title defenses with three.
One of Werdum’s more colorful rivals, welterweight Colby Covington, couldn’t help but comment on the case. The pair were involved in an altercation in Australia several months ago, where Werdum threw a boomerang at the trash-talking American. The dispute allegedly stemmed from Covington’s apparent disrespect for Brazil, including calling Brazilians “filthy animals.”
Why am I not surprised that a slime bag like .@fabriciowerdum is on the juice and pissed hot?! You do the crime you do the time, you FILTHY ANIMAL! #NerdBash2018 #BoomerangGang
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) May 22, 2018
