Andrea Lee releases statement on scrapped UFC 216 bout

Andrea Lee has gone from being tabbed for a UFC debut on about a weeks’ notice to having to wait six more months to step in the octagon for the first time.

Lee (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the current LFA women’s flyweight champion and an Invicta FC vet, was set as a late-notice addition to next Saturday’s UFC 216 lineup. She was expected to face Kalindra Faria (18-5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in just the second women’s 125-pound fight in UFC history, but less than 24 hours later, she was off the card.

The UFC’s drug-testing partner, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), typically calls for a four-month testing period for newly signed talent. Exceptions can be made for short-notice signees or replacements, but Lee’s history puts her into a unique category.

The fact “KGB” failed a drug test due to a banned diuretic prior to a March 2016 Invicta FC fight means she must undergo an additional six months of randomized drug testing before she can fight in the UFC, as she explained in a statement (via Instagram):

It'll be a short six months. Be back. I had 4 fights this year. Body probably needs a short rest then a 4 month camp.

A post shared by andrea lee (@andreakgblee) on Sep 30, 2017 at 7:57am PDT

Although disappointed, Lee said the break could be for the best. She’s fought four times this year alone, with her most recent bout a second-round submission win over Jamie Thorton in the recent LFA 23 earlier (check out the highlights above).

“It’ll be a short six months,” Lee wrote. “I’ll be back. I had four fights this year. Body probably needs a short rest then a four month camp.”

For more on UFC 216, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.