Former UFC Champion Fabricio Werdum Fails Drug Test, Luke Rockhold Injured (Video), UFC Connected
- On the latest edition of "UFC Connected," we go back to UFC 223 and witness Khabib Nurmagomedov becoming the lightweight champion. The behind-the-scenes reality series also focuses in on Darren Till's upcoming bout in his home country, Liverpool's Team Kaobon, Leon Edwards and more.
UFC Connected is a monthly magazine show that profiles the fighters and events from the world's leading MMA promotion. Layla Anna-Lee hosts the program, which focuses on fighters from Europe, Middle East and Asia regions of the world.
- Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has been flagged for a potential anti-doping violation. Werdum's test results were from late in April.
"The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Fabricio Werdum of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on April 25, 2018," a statement from the UFC read. "USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Werdum. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal 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."
Werdum was rumored for a bout with Alexey Oleynik in the headline fight at the UFC's upcoming event in Russia. The soon-to-be 41-year-old is coming off a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov this past March that snapped a two-fight win streak.
The fighter took to social media to release his first comments, stating that he is already working to clear his name.
"Hey guys, I got up this morning to the news that one of my urine samples from April tested positive for a prohibited substance. I am working with my team, the UFC and USADA to understand what happened," Werdum wrote. "I've always been careful with everything I take and I've always supported a clean sport. We will work hard to solve this misunderstanding and I hope soon to be able to go back to the octagon and do what I love."
- Plans for Luke Rockhold's light heavyweight debut have been put on hold. The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion suffered a serious injury in training and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Rockhold provided Ariel Helwani with a video of his shin being stitched up. Be warned, the following is graphic in nature:
Luke Rockhold reinjured his leg in training late last week and is now definitely not fighting Alexander Gustafsson this summer. I'm told he's hoping to return in October, at the earliest. Here's a video he provided to me of his shin getting stitched up. (Warning: GRAPHIC) pic.twitter.com/CDQseH7nUN
? Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 22, 2018