Would-be UFC Saudi Arabia middleweight Joilton Lutterbach, who had been penciled in as the opponent of Shara Magomedov this Saturday, has openly admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs ahead of the fight.
The doping infraction, caught under the UFC’s new anti-doping program in association with Drug Free Sport, saw Lutterbach (38-10, 1NC) yanked from the fight, though promotion officials did not confirm the reason.
However, Brazil’s Lutterbach addressed the matter on social media recently, in essence saying he didn’t know he would be signing with the UFC, and so didn’t expect to be caught.
“Thank you for all the messages of affection during this difficult time. I actually used Juice 3 months ago and had no idea that I would sign with the UFC,” Lutterbach wrote in a statement posted on Thursday. “I could have hidden in the mountains or gone to Thailand to hide as many do and are not tested, but I preferred to take the risk and believe I was clean and fit to fight.”
“I signed the contract 3 weeks ago and so I figured I was in the clear. My case will be analyzed by Combat Sport anti-doping and Sub Zero will certainly be frozen for a few months without fighting or freezing anyone. I would like to say sorry to the UFC and to my opponent Shara.”
“I will be frozen and not dead. I will be back soon!” Lutterbach finished.
While it’s rare for a fighter to openly admit to doping, Lutterbach joins the likes of ex-PFL fighter Will Fluery, who owned up to a 2023 doping infraction earlier this year.
With Joilton Lutterbach out of the fight, Magomedov will instead fight Antonio Trocoli at the Fight Night event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The UFC Saudi Arabia card has undergone a number of changes and cancellations, with Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov now headlining, after Khamzat Chimaev was forced to withdraw from the main event.
