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.”