Ben Rothwell Notified By USADA Of Potential Anti-Doping Violation

The UFC has announced that No. 5-ranked UFC heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell has been flagged by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) for a potential anti-doping violation in regards to a sample collected on Feb. 6, 2017.

Rothwell is now provisionally suspended while USADA conducts its investigation, meaning that he has been pulled from his scheduled bout with former champion Fabricio Werdum, which was set for UFC 211 on May 13, 2017 in Dallas, Texas.

This isn’t the first time Rothwell has had to deal with a failed test, as he was suspended nine months by the UFC in 2013 after it was made clear that he had elevated levels of testosterone.

“Big” Ben is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to former champion Junior Dos Santos last April, but prior to that he had won four straight over the likes of Brandon Vera, Alistair Overeem, Matt Mitrione and Josh Barnett.