No Belfort at UFC 173 in May after testosterone therapy ruling

UFC's ban on testosterone replacement therapy encountered its first casualty on Thursday, just hours after the change was announced.

Vitor Belfort, who was trying to get a medical exemption for using TRT ahead of UFC 173, was removed from the main event because of the new rules, according to Fox Sports. Lyoto Machida will replace him in the middleweight fight against Chris Weidman. But this is not the last of Belfort - he plans to get the treatments out of his system and plan a later return.

"The Nevada State Athletic Commission recently altered its policy and no longer will permit testosterone use exemptions, and will not permit a TRT program," Belfort said in a statement, via FOX Sports.  "As other jurisdictions may follow suit, I am going to drop my TRT program and compete in MMA without it...Given the time constraints involved between now and my proposed next bout in May, I have determined not to apply for a license to fight in Nevada at this time."