Tiago Trator needs a new opponent for his upcoming UFC fight.
The UFC announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has notified the promotion of a potential anti-doping violation stemming from two out-of-competition sample collections of Zubaira Tukhugov, who was scheduled to meet the Brazilian on Dec. 9 in Albany, New York.
"The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Zubaira Tukhugov of a potential Anti-Doping violation stemming from out-of-competition sample collections made on September 7, 2016 and October 29, 2016," the UFC statement read. "USADA has provisionally suspended Tukhugov based on the potential anti-doping violation. The UFC is removing Tukhugov from his scheduled bout against Tiago Trator on December 9 in Albany, New York, and is in the process of attempting to locate a replacement."
Tukhugov (18-4) hasn’t fought since suffering a split-decision loss to Renato Carneiro in May, having a nine-fight winning streak snapped in Curitiba, Brazil. Prior to that defeat, the 25-year-old featherweight was 3-0 under the UFC banner.
Trator (20-5-1, 1 NC), who now waits for a new opponent on less than a month’s notice, hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since September 2015, when he improved his UFC record to 2-1 with a split-decision victory over Clay Collard at UFC 191.
UFC Fight Night 102 is scheduled for Dec. 9 in Albany’s Times Union Center, and features a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Shamil Abdurahimov in the main event.