UFC releases heavyweight Carlos Felipe following second doping violation

Carlos Felipe is no longer on the UFC roster, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting.

“Boi” was let go after being hit with an 18-month suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for boldenone following a decision loss to Andrei Arlovski in October, which Felipe called “a huge surprise." Felipe had been suspended before by the United States Anti-Doping Agency prior to his octagon debut in 2017, testing positive for stanozolol.

Felipe (11-2) was released and then re-signed by the UFC roster after his past suspension and made his first appearance under the company’s banner in 2020, losing a majority decision to Sergey Spivak in Abu Dhabi. Felipe rebounded with wins over Yorgan De Castro, Justin Tafa and Jake Collier before the setback against Arlovski.

“We’ll wait for the suspension to be over so we can compete again, get some wins together and return to the UFC,” Felipe’s manager Leonardo Pateira told MMA Fighting. “Because the UFC has indicated that there’s a chance he’ll be called again after one or two wins. The UFC is our only focus, so we’ll do as they say.”

Felipe won eight in a row on the Brazilian circuit before joining the UFC, scoring first-round stoppages in six of those bouts.