Lara Procopio accepts six-month suspension for USADA violation

Brazilian bantamweightLara Procopio has accepted a six-month suspension for violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy, which is administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Procopio (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), 24, tested positive for the anabolic agent Ostarine in an out-of-competion drug test conducted on Feb. 24. Her six-month suspension is backdated to the administration of the test, meaning her suspension period ended on Aug. 24.

Here is USADA’s statement on the matter:

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.

Procopio last competed on Aug. 31, 2019, when she lost a split decision to Karol Rosa in her UFC debut.