UFC bantamweight Francisco Rivera flagged for potential doping violation


UFC bantamweight Francisco Rivera is the latest fighter to be flagged for a potential doping violation following an out of competition drug test administered just recently.
UFC officials confirmed Rivera was flagged for using a banned substance by USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) following a test administered on July 23.
The test Rivera failed was actually taken one week prior to his last fight with Eric Perez at UFC 201 on July 30. Rivera lost the fight by unanimous decision, dropping his record to 1-5 over his last six bouts.
"The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Francisco Rivera of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on July 23, 2016," UFC officials said in a statement.
"USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward."
There's no word on what banned substance Rivera allegedly used and USADA isn't allowed to reveal the information unless the fighter discloses it first publicly.
All fighters who are flagged for a potential doping violation are afforded an adjudication process if they choose.
As of yet, Rivera hasn't made a public statement on the matter.
