Cris Cyborg Officially Reinstated By USADA
Cris Cyborg is free to fight again.
The dominant Invicta FC featherweight champion’s status was up in the air following a potential USADA violation late last year, but news broke today that Cyborg has been officially reinstated by USADA. The UFC announced on its website that she had been flagged for banned diuretic Spironolactone, but had received a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
Cyborg made headlines earlier this year by stating she was unavailable to fight in the first-ever UFC women’s featherweight title fight after putting herself through two extremely taxing cuts down to 140 pounds to fight in the UFC last year. She was then flagged for the potential violation, and the wolves were out in full force, quick to judge in conjunction with her previous failure and suspension while in Strikeforce.
However, she had a legitimate reason for using the banned substance and will be eligible to fight immediately. Read the explanation of USADA’s stance here:
USADA announced today that UFC® athlete Cristiane Justino, of Curitiba, Brazil, has been granted a retroactive Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) and will therefore not face an anti-doping policy violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance in December of 2016.
Justino, 31, tested positive for Spironolactone, following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on December 5, 2016. Spironolactone is a prohibited substance in the category of Diuretics and Masking Agents and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Upon notice of her positive test, Justino immediately identified a medication prescribed by her physician for the treatment of a common endocrine disorder as the source of the prohibited substance detected in her sample. She also participated in multiple interviews with USADA’s investigative team and consented to USADA interviewing her physician as well.
After a thorough investigation of the circumstances that preceded her positive test, which included a comprehensive review of Justino’s documented medical history, USADA accepted Justino’s explanation that her use of Spironolactone began in late September, following her bout at UFC Fight Night Brasilia, and was in accordance with her physician’s recommendation for the treatment of a legitimate medical condition. Nonetheless, because Spironolactone is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, USADA advised Justino that her use of the medication without a valid TUE violated the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. Accordingly, Justino applied for a TUE to authorize her use of the medication, with retroactive effect.
Cyborg drew the collective ire of many in the MMA world when she reportedly turned down two UFC women’s featherweight title fights in a division that had essentially been created to showcase her dominance, including from UFC President Dana White, who said Justino had been ‘acting strange’ leading up to the failed test.
Now White and her many other detractors have egg on their faces, however, and it would seem almost assured that Cyborg will now be the next opponent for inaugural champion Germaine de Randamie. “The Iron Lady’s” reign has gotten off to an especially auspicious start after she hit Holly Holm after the bell in the second and third rounds of their fight at last weekend’s UFC 208, prompting an apology and for her to call for a rematch with ‘The Preacher’s Daughter.’ Holm has also officially appealed the loss.
De Randamie also said she would have hand surgery when faced with the prospect of fighting Cyborg next. But with Cyborg ready to rock, that rematch would seem like a far-off possibility as of now.
Will ‘The Iron Lady’ be able to avoid her inevitable showdown with Cyborg?
