Marco Polo Reyes may be one of the more exciting lightweight fighters on the UFC roster, but he’s also the latest to be flagged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a potential UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation.
The UFC and Reyes were recently notified by USADA that the fighter was potentially in violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy stemming from a March 8 out-of-competition drug test.
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Marco Reyes of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on March 8, 2018,” read a UFC statement on Thursday.
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Reyes. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.”
Reyes (8-4) was only a few weeks removed from his latest bout when the sample was collected. He knocked out Matt Frevola one minute into their UFC Fight Night 124 bout on Jan. 14 in St. Louis, Mo., which earned Reyes a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. The bonus was his third post-fight honor in five trips to the Octagon.
Racking up a 4-1 record under the UFC banner, Reyes has three knockouts in his four victories, which have led to a Fight of the Night bonus and two Performance of the Night honors.
Emerging from the second season of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America, Reyes had been rocketing up the lightweight ranks before being stopped by James Vick at UFC 211 last year. He bounced back earlier this year with the win over Frevola, but could see any momentum nullified, depending upon the outcome of his UFC Anti-Doping Policy case.
