LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 10: Tim Means celebrates his win over John Howard in their welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on December 10, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The upcoming UFC Fight Night card in Pittsburgh will need a new main event after Tim Means was pulled from the show after a potential anti-doping violation was returned for the welterweight fighter from an out of competition drug test.
UFC officials announced the news on Wednesday
Means was expected to face Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in the five-round main event on Feb. 21, but now the UFC will be forced to scramble to find a replacement for the show coming up in just more than two weeks.
"The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Tim Means of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection," UFC officials wrote in a statement.
"USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. However, because Means was scheduled to compete against Donald Cerrone on February 21 in Pittsburgh, there is insufficient time for a full review and proper promotion before the scheduled bout. As a result, UFC will announce shortly a replacement opponent for Cerrone on the UFC Fight Night card in Pittsburgh."
This is the first potential positive drug test for Means and it comes at the worst possible time as he was about to headline his first UFC card.
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