UFC Fight Night 83 Rumors: Tim Means Out of Main Event Due to Doping
The Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Pittsburgh dubbed as Fight Night 83 will be making some major changes after Tim Means, one of the fighters scheduled to fight in the main event, has been found violating the anti-doping policy of USADA, which means that he will be suspended for the time being.
The UFC released its own statement confirming the suspension due to a USADA drug testing violation, which was revealed during a collection of urine sample while out from any competition or fight. Below is an excerpt of the statement.
"The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Tim Means of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection."
This development suggests that Means' Feb. 26 main event fight against Donald Cerrone is off the list, while the promotion will have to work doubly fast to find a replacement.
Because USADA is the official (independent) administrator of the UFC's Anti-Doping Policy, the results management, as well as the adjudication of the case, will be handled by them. And just like any other cases of positive drug test results, the concerned fighter will be provided a fair and comprehensive review process right before sanctions are handed out.
But the case of the 31-year-old is unique because he already is slated to fight in less than three weeks, which means there no longer is enough time for a full review. Hence, the likely scenario is that the UFC will find a replacement to face Cerrone in order for the bout to continue.
The headliner could have been the best opportunity for Means to go up the rankings in the welterweight division. He currently holds a decent MMA record of 25-7-1 and 8-4 in the UFC. The last time he fought was last December for UFC Fight Night 80, when he knocked out John Howard.
Cerrone is coming into this fight with a 15-4 UFC record (28-7 MMA).
