Cris Cyborg has shed some light on her latest failed drug test.
After being notified of a potential violation of the USADA's anti-doping policy stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected Dec. 5, the 31-year-old revealed in a statement that a banned diuretic known as spironolactone was the culprit.
MMAFighting's Ariel Helwani has since confirmed the announcement with USADA.
Cyborg claims to have begun taking the substance Sept. 26 - a day after she dispatched Lina Lansberg at UFC Fight Night 95 in Brazil - as part of a "therapeutic treatment" intended to last no less than 90 days and aid in her recovery from an excruciating weight cut, echoing a statement made Thursday afternoon.
The Brazilian's doctor had ordered her to avoid "competition style training" and "weight cutting practices" during this period, hence her refusal to fight in the UFC's inaugural women's featherweight title bout at UFC 208.
The longtime featherweight maintained her doctor was familiar with USADA's guidelines and had assured her no further efforts to gain the agency's blessing were needed, although she's since applied for a retroactive therapeutic use exemption.
The Brazilian is facing a maximum one-year suspension, Helwani reports.
Cyborg's only other failed drug test came in 2011, when she was flagged for anabolic agent stanozolol, which overturned her knockout victory over Hiroko Yamanaka to a no-contest.
