Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is officially off the UFC 212 card in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. UFC officials made the announcement on Thursday. Silva (34-8, 1 No-Contest) was slated to fight Kelvin Gastelum (13-2) at the event. However, the former TUF winner was pulled off the card after testing positive for marijuana. Here’s the full statement from the UFC:
“Following the April 6 removal of Kelvin Gastelum from his UFC 212 bout against Anderson Silva, UFC officials attempted to find a replacement to meet Silva on June 3. However an opponent was not secured to face the former middleweight champion on short notice, prompting his removal from the card at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Due to Anderson Silva’s withdrawal, customers may request a full refund of their purchased tickets until May 18, 2017. To request a refund of a purchase made at the event box office or points of sale, the customer must return to the point of purchase with the original tickets. For credit card transactions, the refund will be credited to credit card statement. For debit card transactions, the refund will be credited to the account linked to the debit card used for the purchase. To refund a purchase made online or through the call center, the customer should access atendimento.tudus.com.br, and select the category “Cancellation” and list “UFC 212” as the subject.”
Jessica Penne flagged by USADA for potential doping violation after a biological passport review UFC officials announced Thursday that Jessica Penne has become the first fighter to be flagged for a potential USADA doping violation following a review of her biological passport. Penne (12-5) last competed at UFC Fight Night 108 where she lost via unanimous decision to Danielle Taylor. The test in question stems from a March 20th out of competition test, as Penne fought on April 22nd. According to the World Anti-Doping Association, biological passport is used “to monitor selected biological variables over time that indirectly reveal the effects of doping rather than attempting to detect the doping substance or method itself.”
Tim Elliott steps up to replace Joseph Benavidez against Ben Nguyen at UFC Fight Night 110
UFC officials also announced recently that TUF 24 winner Tim Elliott will replace Joseph Benavidez (torn ACL injury) against Ben Nguyen on June 10th at UFC Fight Night 110 in Auckland, New Zealand. Ellliott (14-7-1) earned his first UFC victory since 2013 when he won a unanimous decision against Louis Smolka in his last fight at UFC on FOX 24. The former Titan FC flyweight champion has won four of his last five fights.
Meanwhile, Nguyen (17-6) heads into this matchup off a unanimous-decision win over Geane Herrera at UFC Fight Night 101 in November. The 28-year-old has gone 3-1 in the UFC. Here’s an updated look at the card…
Mark Hunt vs. Derrick Lewis
Derek Brunson vs. Daniel Kelly
Tim Elliott vs. Ben Nguyen
Ashkan Mokhtarian vs. John Moraga
Dan Hooker vs. Ross Pearson
Damien Brown vs. Vinc Pichel
Mizuto Hirota vs. Alex Volkanovski
Warlley Alves vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
Luke Jumeau vs. Dominique Steele
Dooho Choi returns against Andre Fili at UFC 214
A pair of featherweight prospects will clash on July 29th, as Dooho Choi battles Andre Fili at UFC 214 in Anaheim, CA. UFC officials announced the matchup on Thursday. Choi (14-2) is coming off a loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 206, which dropped his record to 3-1 in the UFC. The 26-year-old boasts 11 wins by knockout. Fili (16-4) hasn’t competed since October, when he earned a decision victory against Hacran Dias at UFC Fight Night 96. The Team Alpha Male product has gone 4-3 inside the Octagon.
