Frank Mir flagged for 'potential' USADA violation

The UFC announced Friday that two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir has been flagged for a "potential Anti-Doping Policy violation" stemming from an in-competition drug test collected by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on the date of his recent bout at UFC Fight Night 85.

Mir suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of Mark Hunt on March 20 at UFC Fight Night 85 in Brisbane, Australia.

If the USADA violation proves to be accurate, it would mark the first drug testing failure of Mir's 16-year UFC career.

The UFC's statement can be read below.

The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Frank Mir of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an in-competition sample collected the day of his fight on March 20, 2016 in Brisbane, Australia.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Mir. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed.

Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.

Mir (18-11) is one of the longest tenured active UFC fighters, with a career that spans back to 2001.

He has twice won the UFC heavyweight title, first with a 50-second victory over Tim Sylvia in 2004, then on an interim basis with a second-round knockout of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2008.

Mir, 36, has struggled in recent years, losing six of his last eight fights. Three of those six losses -- to Hunt, Josh Barnett, and Junior dos Santos -- have ended in knockouts.