USADA clears Cyborg of potential doping policy violation

Cris Cyborg is now free to return to competition after being cleared of a potential violation of the USADA's anti-doping policy, the agency announced in an official release Friday.

The UFC's anti-doping partner granted Cyborg a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) after Spironolactone was found in an out-of-competition sample collected on Dec. 22. The featherweight had undergone treatment to recover from a grueling cut to 140 pounds made in preparation for her last fight - a second-round TKO of Lina Lansberg at UFC Fight Night 95 - and cited medication her doctor had prescribed after the bout as the source of the illicit substance.

The Brazilian's doctor and legal team cooperated with the USADA in pursuit of the exemption, after which the anti-doping agency determined the substance had been used to treat an "unequivocally diagnosed chronic medical condition," likely brought on by her well-documented struggles with weight management.

UFC president Dana White had previously teased Cyborg could soon be out of the woods, and her stroke of good fortune now clears her to challenge for the women's featherweight title, which Germaine de Randamie won with a controversial decision over Holly Holm at UFC 208 this past Saturday.

The 31-year-old took to social media to express her elation and - with De Randamie expected to undergo hand surgery - called to face Invicta's interim featherweight champion Megan Anderson at UFC 212 in her native Brazil immediately following the verdict.