Yesterday it was announced that Russia’s heavyweight Alexander Volkov (30-7) will not be participating in the main event of UFC St. Petersburg. “Drago” was scheduled to fight in the main event against Alistair Overeem (44-17), but shockingly he was replaced by his fellow countryman Alexey Oleynik (57-11-1).
As of yesterday, it was unclear what really happened, but as usual, there were two main reasons – injury or failed drug test. It turns out it’s the second guess. Russian media outlets are reporting the 30-year-old MMA fighter has violated the United States Anti-Doping Agency rules.
Per the new USADA rules, the organization does not reveal the names of fighters who are under investigation for policy violations, so there is no official confirmation, though matchtv.ru is reporting the removal is due to a potential doping violation.