Matheus Nicolau has accepted his one-year suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Back in Nov. 2016, Nicolau was pulled from his scheduled UFC Fight Night 100 bout against Ulka Sasaki. The 125-pounder was flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation. Nicolau tested positive for anastrozole from a urine test that was conducted on Oct. 13, 2016.
Today (March 29), USADA announced that Nicolau has been suspended from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition for a year, but he will be eligible to come back in Oct. 2017 as the ineligibility period began on the date of his failed drug test.
You can read part of USADA’s statement below:
“Nicolau, 24, tested positive for anastrozole following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on October 13, 2016. Anastrozole is a specified substance in the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the WADA Prohibited List. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, the standard sanction for a doping offense involving a specified substance, like anastrozole, is a one-year period of ineligibility.
Nicolau’s one-year period of ineligibility began on October 13, 2016, the date his positive sample was collected. After his potential anti-doping policy violation was announced on November 3, 2016, Nicolau was removed from the Card for the UFC Fight Night event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which was held on November 19, 2016.”
