Former UFC lightweight Felipe Olivieri has been suspended for two years due to anti-doping violations, USADA announced on Wednesday 25th Jan.
McLaren Global Sports Solutions acted as the independent arbitrator, handling Olivieri’s case following a failed out-of-competition urine test on Jan. 11, 2016. The Brazilian tested positive for methyltestosterone metabolites, which is an anabolic agent prohibited at all times according to the UFC’s Anti-Doping Policy.
“If an athlete exercises his or her right to contest the imposition of the standard sanction, as Olivieri did, that case must be heard by independent arbitrators, per the UFC Anti-Doping Policy,” the statement read. “Olivieri contested the asserted doping offense by arguing that the laboratory results for his urine sample should be disregarded based on alleged breaches of the chain of custody and an alleged lack of competency by the testing laboratory. In rejecting the athlete’s claims, the Arbitrator concluded that Olivieri failed to establish that the sample chain of custody and analysis, which was conducted by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, had been compromised.
“Because Olivieri did not present any mitigating evidence with respect to his level of fault during the appeal process, the Arbitrator imposed the standard period of ineligibility for Olivieri’s doping offense.”
Olivieiri’s two-year suspension will be effective from March 10, 2016, when the initial ban began. The 31 year old will be eligible to return in March 2018.
