Outside Source
UFC heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima can’t get out of his own way.
On Thursday, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced through the UFC that Rogerio de Lima had failed a drug test out of competition on Jan. 13. The Brazilian tested positive for anastrozole, a hormone modulator, that is prohibited at all times by the drug testing agency. It is the second time he has tested positive for this substance, first getting flagged in 2017 for the same thing. As this is his second doping violation on the roster, he has been suspended for one year, and will be allowed to compete again starting Jan. 24, 2026.
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Rogerio de Lima reportedly cooperated fully with the investigation, providing samples, putting the agency in contact with his physician and other things. He stated that the substance is used to treat a medical condition, but he never sought out a therapeutic use exemption to be permitted to take it. Because of this reasoning, CSAD handed down a lighter sentence than most offenders, setting it at a six-month period. Since it was his second time violating drug testing policies, that time was doubled to 12 months.
The statement from CSAD reads as follows:
“Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced today that Marcos Rogerio de Lima, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has accepted a one-year period of ineligibility for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP).
“De Lima tested positive for the presence of Anastrozole, a prohibited at all times substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators on the UFC Prohibited List from an out of competition sample collected from him on January 13, 2025. De Lima submitted extensive medical documentation confirming a medical condition which necessitated the prescribed treatment of anastrozole. Anastrozole was clearly listed on the label’s listed ingredient of the prescribed, compounded substance that he consumed. However, De Lima neither checked on the prohibited status himself of the prescription before using it, nor contacted anyone within the UFC Anti-Doping Compliance Team for help to check the status of the prescription. Additionally, this is De Lima’s second violation under the UFC ADP, the first arising from a contaminated supplement he received and consumed from a compounding pharmacy in Brazil in 2017. Of importance in this case, his 2017 violation was also for the presence of Anastrozole in his system.
“Notwithstanding the above facts in this case, De Lima fully cooperated with CSAD’s investigation, including submitting to a detailed interview and giving CSAD explicit consent to contact his prescribing physician in Brazil. De Lima’s physician provided CSAD with an explanation of De Lima’s medical examination and diagnosis, including medical documentation and imaging, and details of the prescribed treatment. The records and statements received by CSAD confirmed that De Lima was attempting to treat a medical condition and his use of Anastrozole effectively treated his condition as intended.
“Under the UFC ADP, CSAD evaluates each case and can reduce periods of ineligibility based on the athlete’s degree of fault and their level of cooperation. While De Lima’s failed to do his due diligence before consuming the product containing Anastrozole, the medical records showed that he went to his physician to treat a medical condition, he was not seeking an athletic performance advantage and simply failed to check on the status of the medication and seek a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for his use of Anastrozole. Additionally, De Lima executed all cooperation requests from CSAD concerning its investigation into this case.
“CSAD has determined that the standalone sanction for this violation is a 6-month period of ineligibility, which is doubled to a 1-year sanction because this is his second violation under the UFC ADP. De Lima’s suspension began on January 24, 2025, the date that he was notified of his provisional suspension under the program, and he will be eligible to compete again in UFC events beginning on January 24, 2026.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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