UFC light heavyweight Tom Lawlor is the latest fighter to be notified of a potential USADA violation.
UFC light heavyweight “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, who hasn’t fought since April and otherwise doesn’t have a fight booked, has been flagged by USADA for a possible violation of their anti-doping policy. The UFC released this statement on Thursday.
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Tom Lawlor of a potential Anti-Doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on October 10, 2016. USADA has provisionally suspended Lawlor based on the potential anti-doping violation.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
Lawlor (10-6, 1 NC) is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Corey Anderson at UFC 196. The 33-year-old has battled numerous injuries and concussion-related symptoms over the past few years, which has led to just 3 fights in 3 years. His last win was a come-from-behind 2nd round KO of Gian Villante in July 2015.
As is the standard procedure, USADA did not reveal what banned substance was found in Lawlor’s out-of-competition sample.
Last week, UFC bantamweight Guido Cannetti was pulled from this Saturday’s TUF Latin America 3 Finale card due to a potential anti-doping violation, while UFC middleweight Adam Hunter was suspended for two years after failing for five different banned substances.