Islam Makhachev Pulled from UFC on Fox 19 Due to Potential Anti-Doping Policy Violation

Just days following Lyoto Machida’s match with Dan Henderson was axed after the Brazilian ran afoul of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s anti-doping policy, another fight has been pulled from UFC on Fox 19.

Lightweight contender Islam Makhachev, who initially missed weight Friday before hitting 156 on his second attempt, will not fight Saturday after Meldonium was allegedly detected in a “recent out-of-competition sample collection.” The Dagestani was scheduled to fight Drew Dober.

Meldonium has been in the headlines recently regarding a scandal surrounding tennis star Maria Sharapova.

The UFC confirmed the news, which was first reported by MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, on its official website and issued a statement:

“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informed Islam Makhachev of a potential Anti-Doping Policy Violation involving Meldonium, a prohibited substance, stemming from a recent out-of-competition sample collection. In accordance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, Makhachev has received a provisional suspension, and has been removed from his scheduled bout against Drew Dober from Saturday’s card in Tampa, Florida.

“The UFC Anti-Doping Program follows the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List of Substances, which is updated yearly. Meldonium was recently added to the WADA Prohibited List, which went into effect on January 1, 2016. WADA recently announced that they are currently conducting further studies of the substance which may influence how cases involving Meldonium are evaluated. In order to ensure Makhachev receives full and fair due process, USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will consider all relevant information before making any determinations.

“Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”