UFC president hopeful of 'Cyborg' Justino return while USADA weighs therapeutic-use exemption

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is evaluating a retroactive therapeutic-use exemption requested by Cristiane Justino, and both her attorney and UFC President Dana White are optimistic about a positive resolution.

Justino’s attorney, prominent anti-doping attorney Howard Jacobs, said today there’s no concrete timeline for a decision from the UFC’s anti-doping partner. But he was encouraged by a recent request for additional information on the TUE application, which would allow “Cyborg” to avoid a one-year suspension and resume fighting.

“Usually when you submit a TUE, it’s either granted, or it’s denied, or it’s denied and incomplete,” Jacobs told MMAjunkie. “In this case, the specifics of the questions they asked was a little out of the ordinary, and we’re cautiously optimistic by the types of questions they asked.”

According to UFC anti-doping rules, Justino (17-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and her team will need to prove she needed the medical treatment and that there was insufficient time to submit a TUE due to “exceptional circumstances,” or if USADA determines “fairness requires the grant of a retroactive TUE.”

Justino was placed on temporary suspension after an out-of-competition drug test conducted Dec. 22, 2016, revealed the presence of spironolactone, a diuretic that has legitimate medical uses as well as being a banned substance that could potentially mask performance-enhancing drugs.

Then the Invicta FC featherweight champ and a catchweight UFC fighter, Justino denied PED use after news of her positive test, and her reps claimed she took the drug was prescribed to her by her personal doctor to treat complications from a severe weight cut she undertook to fight Lina Lansberg this past September at UFC Fight Night 95.

After the positive test, White implied Justino’s refusal of three separate offers to fight for the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight title could be linked to the positive test. But speaking today to ESPN.com, he expressed full support for the fearsome Brazilian fighter.

“The drug that she had taken, she should have immediately let USADA know about it,” he said. “But it’s legit. She legitimately has these three separate issues, and that’s what that drug is used for. The doctors are saying it, and it’s looking good for her. I like it a lot.”

With ex-bantamweight champ Holly Holm (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Germaine de Randamie (7-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) fighting Saturday at UFC 208 for the inaugural featherweight title, White said he could see Justino returning to challenge for the belt in the summer.

“And you have (women’s bantamweight champ) Amanda Nunes – obviously, she’s got to defend her title a few times, at least – and she’s saying she’d like to move up and fight for that title, too,” he said. “It’s getting interesting, and it’s all a work in progress.”

Jacobs declined to speculate on the outcome of the application, noting it is generally harder to obtain a retroactive TUE than a regular one. But he said Justino’s team has provided as much information as possible to prove she needed the former.

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