Andrea Lee pulled from UFC 216 fight with Kalindra Faria

Esther Lin, Invicta FC

Andrea Lee will have to wait a little longer to debut in the UFC after all.

Just hours after MMA Fighting reported “KGB” would meet fellow promotional newcomer Kalindra Faria on Oct. 7, Lee was informed she would not be able to make her Octagon debut without going through the USADA testing pool for six months since she has failed a drug test in the past, sources told MMA Fighting.

UFC officials, as well as Lee, declined to comment on the story when reached by MMA Fighting.

Lee (8-2), the current Legacy FC flyweight champion, was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission in March 2016 after testing positive for diuretics. “KGB” has fought four times already in 2017, going 4-0 with three stoppages, but has not been in the USADA testing pool, per information taken from the agency’s website.

The rule states as follows:

A new or returning Athlete who admits or has an established and verifiable history of the Use, Attempted Use or Possession of a substance or method that is classified as prohibited at all times on the Prohibited List shall not be permitted to compete in UFC Bouts until he/she has made him/herself available for Testing for a minimum period of six months before competing. At USADA’s discretion, such Athletes may also be required to provide a minimum of two negative Samples during the minimum six-month notice period before being cleared for competition. This provision shall not apply in situations in which (i) the Athlete’s Use of the Prohibited Substance or Method was pursuant to a valid TUE or (ii) USADA subsequently grants the Athlete a TUE for the substance or method in question.

Lee is expected to debut in the UFC once the six-month testing period concludes.

The UFC hopes to keep Faria (18-5-1) on next week’s card, though, they have yet to finalize an opponent for her. The Brazilian flyweight has won three in a row, capped off by a Titan FC bantamweight title win over Carina Damm last September.

UFC 216 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and features Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee for the interim lightweight championship in the headliner, while flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson faces Ray Borg in the co-main event.