A couple of up-and-coming Brazilian fighters will have their careers temporarily interrupted due to USADA suspensions.
Back on October 17, the anti-doping agency announced that women’s flyweight Melissa Gatto accepted a one-year suspension following a failed out-of-competition test. A day later, USADA also reported that light heavyweight John Allan Arte received the same penalty for an in-competition infraction.
Undefeated Melissa Gatto (6-0) had yet to make her Octagon debut when she was notified. Originally scheduled to take on Julia Avila at UFC 239, back in July, the 23-year-old was removed from the card following a failed urine test in which she tested positive for Furosemide, a banned substance classified as a Diuretic or a Masking Agent and prohibited at all times. Gatto’s suspension will extend back to June 5, 2019, the date she provided her sample.
With one UFC win under his belt, a unanimous decision over Mike Rodriguez back in July, John Allan Arte failed an in-competition test after testing positive for 3-hydroxy-4-methoxytamoxifen, a metabolite of forbidden substance Tamoxifen, which falls under the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is also prohibited at all times.
Arte’s suspension, just like Gatto’s, will date back to the day he provided his sample, July 13, 2019. The 26-year-old’s win over Rodriguez will also be overturned to a No Contest and he will have to pay a $4,800 fine.
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