UFC lightweight Felipe Olivieri has been handed a two-year suspension for a doping violation stemming from a failed out of competition drug test on Jan. 11, 2016.
The decision was rendered after Olivieri entered into arbitration with USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), who handles the UFC's anti-doping program.
McLaren Global Sports Solutions served as the independent arbitrator in the case that ultimately ended with Olivieri being handed a two-year suspension.
According to USADA officials, Olivieri tested positive for the "presence of 5a-tetrahydromethyltestosteron and 5B-tetrahydromethyltestosterone, which are metabolites of methyltestosterone. Methyltestosterone is a non-specified substance in the class of anabolic agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC anti-doping policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list".
During his arbitration hearing, Olivieri contested the charge by claiming that the results of his drug test should be disregarded due to alleged breaches of the chain of custody and an alleged lack of competency by the testing laboratory in Brazil.
The arbitrator disagreed and stated that Olivieri had failed to prove any misconduct in the chain of custody with the sample or that the test had been compromised in any way.
The arbitration ended with Olivieri being handed the standard two-year suspension for doping case of this nature. The full arbitration hearing notes can be found on USADA's website.
Olivieri's two-year suspension is retroactive to March 10, 2016, which was the date when he was provisionally suspended due to the doping infraction. That means Olivieri will be eligible to return to competition in March 2018.
Olivieri only had one fight in the UFC prior to his failed drug test when he lost by submission to Tony Martin at FOX UFC Fight Night in New Jersey last January.
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