Werdum flagged by USADA, reported UFC Moscow fight in doubt

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has been flagged by the USADA for a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test collected on April 25, 2018, the promotion announced on Tuesday.

The substance in question was not released. Werdum was reportedly set to face Aleksei Oleinik in the main event of UFC Russia in September, though the UFC has yet to confirm the bout and did not address it in their release.

Werdum signed the fight contract on Monday, reports Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting. Werdum's manager Ali Abdel-Aziz confirmed to MMA Fighting that the Brazilian's camp has not been notified the fight is officially off.

"The entire UFC staff and I are all working together to solve this problem," Abdel-Aziz said. "I'm very confident it will be OK ... It's a misunderstanding. Something is off. Fabricio did not take anything illegal."

The 40-year-old Brazilian has not previously had any issues with the USADA. He is coming off a loss to Alexander Volkov in March that ended a two-bout win streak. USADA officials will have a final say on what Werdum's potential punishment will be.