UFC strawweight fighter Jessica Penne has been flagged by USADA for a potential USADA anti-doping violation.
Interestingly, a urine sample from Penne on March 20th initially came back negative, and it was only upon further investigation due to irregularities with her biological passport that the violation was discovered.
“Penne’s sample, having undergone the standard out-competition analysis menu, was initially reported to USADA as negative,” a statement from USADA explains. “However, upon review of Penne’s Athlete Biological Passport, the sample was subsequently flagged for additional analysis due to an increased degree of variability in urinary biomarkers measured in the sample,” the statement read. “As a result of that further analysis, the presence of a prohibited substance was detected. Before the reanalysis was completed, Penne fought at the UFC Fight Night event in Nashville on April 22, 2017.”
All UFC fighters are required to have a biological passport under USADA testing, but Penne is the first to have been flagged because of it.
At this stage it’s not been revealed exactly what it was that Penne tested positive for, so it’s not clear how long of a suspension she may now be facing.
The 34-year-old Penne is a former 115lb title contender, but since her TKO loss to the champio,n Joanna Jedrzekczyk in 2015 she’s gone on to suffer a further two losses to Jessica Andrade and Danielle Taylor.
