Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum could be back in action sooner than expected.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Thursday that the Brazilian had received a 10-month reduction to his initial two-year suspension in 2018 when he failed a drug test.
Although his period of eligibility began in May 2018, it was tolled for a period of time when he was not available for testing and had retired as per USADA. He is now eligible to compete on April 1.
The reduction comes as a result of Werdum providing substantial assistance to USADA during his suspension:
“Werdum, 42, received a reduction from the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility due to substantial assistance,” the USADA statement said. “Under the applicable rules, an athlete facing a period of ineligibility who provides information that leads to the discovery of another violation or which results in a criminal or disciplinary body discovering an offense, is eligible for a sanction reduction.”
Werdum’s last outing was a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov at UFC London. Despite being 42, he has already vowed to shock the world in his impending UFC return.
What do you think of Werdum coming back? Who should he face next?
