Heavyweight fighter James Mulheron has been pulled from this weekend’s UFC Fight Night 122 fight card after being flagged fro a potential anti-doping violation. The Englishman was scheduled to face Cyril Asker, but Asker is now left without an opponent.
The potential anti-doping violation steams from an out-of-competition test taken on November 10. The UFC released a statement on the situation.
“The UFC organization was notified that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed James Mulheron of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on November 10, 2017. Due to the proximity of James’s upcoming scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum in Shanghai, China on November 25, 2017, against Cyril Asker, Mulheron has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement,”read the statement.
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Mulheron. 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,” the press release stated.
UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum takes place at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The event is headlined by former middleweight champion Michael Bisping stepping up on short notice to take on Kelvin Gastelum. Gastelum was originally slated to face former pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva, but Silva was also removed from the after being flagged by USADA for a potential violation.
