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Villante receives retroactive TUE for inhaler use

Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA TODAY Sports

Gian Villante's upcoming bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will proceed as scheduled after Villante was given a retroactive therapeutic use exemption for an inhaler that contained a banned substance.

The exemption was announced Friday by the USADA, the UFC's drug-testing partner.

In January, the 31-year-old Villante disclosed to the USADA he was using a Breo Ellipta inhaler, which contained vilanterol, a substance prohibited under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy both in and out of competition. He was advised to submit a TUE application and the USADA determined Villante had "an unequivocally diagnosed acute medical condition for which the use of vilanterol is consistent with the standard of care."

It was also determined that the Breo Ellipta inhaler provided no performance-enhancing benefits for Villante.

Villante fights Shogun on the main card of UFC Fight Night 106 on March 11 in Fortaleza, Brazil.

- With h/t to MMA Fighting

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