Former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will not rematch Dan Henderson in the UFC on FOX 19 co-main event on Saturday. UFC officials announced on Wednesday that Machida was removed from the fight card due to an anti-doping violation.
During a recent out-of-competition drug test administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last week, Machida declared that he had used a banned substance.
“The UFC organization was made aware today by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, that Lyoto Machida declared the usage of a banned substance during an out-of-competition sample collection last week. Machida stated that he was unaware that the substance was prohibited both in and out of competition and, in accordance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, his disclosure of usage will be taken into consideration by USADA during any potential results management and adjudication process,” read a statement provided by the fight promotion.
With Machida out of the fight, Henderson was also removed from Saturday’s event and is expected to be rebooked against a new opponent on an upcoming fight card.
“Given this information, UFC officials have elected to remove Machida from his scheduled bout against Dan Henderson this Saturday in Tampa, Fla. Henderson will be re-booked for a new bout in the near future,” stated the UFC.
