UFC Bantamweight Lara Procopio Accepts 6-Month USADA Suspension

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Lara Fritzen Procopio has accepted a six-month suspension from USADA for an anti-doping violation.

Procopio tested positive for ostarine in an out-of-competition sample collected on Feb. 17. The Nova Uniao product was apple to provide a sample of a supplement she received from a Brazilian compounding pharmacy, and although no banned substances were listed, lab analysis revealed the presence of ostarine.

As a result Procopio received a reduced sanction of six months from the normal two-year period, and her period of ineligibility concluded on Aug. 17, 2020.

The 24-year-old Brazilian dropped a split decision against Karol Rosa in her promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 157 on Aug. 31, 2019. Rosa began her professional tenure with six consecutive victories on the regional circuit.

The full USADA statement regarding Procopio is as follows:

USADA announced today that Lara Fritzen Procopio , of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has accepted a six-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy.

Fritzen Procopio, 24, tested positive for ostarine as the result of a urine sample collected out-of-competition on February 17, 2020. Ostarine is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.

Ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is illegally sold worldwide as a performance-enhancing substance. Ostarine is not currently available as a prescription medication in any country, and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects. Nonetheless, ostarine has commonly been found as a declared and undeclared ingredient in many dietary supplements. More information about the risks of ostarine can be found through a USADA athlete advisory.

Following notification of her positive test, Fritzen Procopio provided an open container of a dietary supplement she obtained from a Brazilian compounding pharmacy that she was using prior to her positive test, and which she declared on her doping control form, for analysis at a WADA-accredited laboratory. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, the analysis revealed the presence of ostarine in the product. Delays in supplement testing were caused by laboratory closures due to COVID-19.

Under the current UFC ADP, if a situation arises where an athlete tests positive and is able to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the cause of the positive test was due to a supplement certified by one of the certifiers in the UFC rules, he or she will not be subject to an anti-doping policy violation and will be permitted to compete after follow-up testing and when there is no performance enhancing benefit in question. In this case, the supplement Fritzen Procopio identified was not a Certified Supplement, and she is therefore subject to an anti-doping policy violation.

Consistent with other contamination cases with similar circumstances, USADA determined that a reduction from the default two-year period of ineligibility was justified. Fritzen Procopio’s six-month period of ineligibility began on February 17, 2020, the date her positive sample was collected.