Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Lara
Fritzen Procopio has accepted a six-month suspension from USADA
for an anti-doping violation.
Procopio tested positive for ostarine in an out-of-competition
sample collected on Feb. 17. The Nova Uniao product was apple to
provide a sample of a supplement she received from a Brazilian
compounding pharmacy, and although no banned substances were
listed, lab analysis revealed the presence of ostarine.
As a result Procopio received a reduced sanction of six months from
the normal two-year period, and her period of ineligibility
concluded on Aug. 17, 2020.
The 24-year-old Brazilian dropped a split decision against Karol Rosa
in her promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 157 on Aug. 31, 2019.
Rosa began her professional tenure with six consecutive victories
on the regional circuit.
The full USADA statement regarding Procopio is as follows:
USADA announced today that Lara
Fritzen Procopio , of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has accepted a
six-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping
Policy.
Fritzen Procopio, 24, tested positive for ostarine as the result of
a urine sample collected out-of-competition on February 17, 2020.
Ostarine is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic
Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy
and UFC Prohibited List.
Ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a selective
androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is illegally sold
worldwide as a performance-enhancing substance. Ostarine is not
currently available as a prescription medication in any country,
and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects.
Nonetheless, ostarine has commonly been found as a declared and
undeclared ingredient in many dietary supplements. More
information about the risks of ostarine can be found through a
USADA athlete advisory.
Following notification of her positive test, Fritzen Procopio
provided an open container of a dietary supplement she obtained
from a Brazilian compounding pharmacy that she was using prior to
her positive test, and which she declared on her doping control
form, for analysis at a WADA-accredited laboratory. Although no
prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, the
analysis revealed the presence of ostarine in the
product. Delays in supplement testing were caused by
laboratory closures due to COVID-19.
Under the current UFC ADP, if a situation arises where an athlete
tests positive and is able to demonstrate by clear and convincing
evidence that the cause of the positive test was due to a
supplement certified by one of the certifiers in the UFC rules, he
or she will not be subject to an anti-doping policy violation and
will be permitted to compete after follow-up testing and when there
is no performance enhancing benefit in question. In this case, the
supplement Fritzen Procopio identified was not a Certified
Supplement, and she is therefore subject to an anti-doping policy
violation.
Consistent with other contamination cases with similar
circumstances, USADA determined that a reduction from the default
two-year period of ineligibility was justified. Fritzen Procopio’s
six-month period of ineligibility began on February 17, 2020, the
date her positive sample was collected.