Istela Nunes removed from UFC Mexico City following provisional suspension by USADA

Former ONE Championship title challenger Istela Nunes (7-1) has been removed from her scheduled UFC debut after receiving a provisional suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), per a report by Combate.

Nunes was set to face Angela Hill in a strawweight contest at the upcoming UFC Mexico City on September 21.

At the time of writing, no specific information regarding the substance that Nunes tested positive for has been released. In line with the changes made last year to the way USADA releases information regarding failed drug tests, an official announcement can only be made once USADA has completed the adjudication process.

The Brazilian fighter was set to make her UFC debut after a three-fight stint with ONE Championship. In her debut fight with the promotion in August 2016, Nunes scored a unanimous decision victory against Mei Yamaguchi.

That win propelled Nunes into a title challenge against ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee. After losing via second-round anaconda choke to the champion, Nunes later bounced back with another unanimous decision victory against Gina Iniong in July 2018.

The UFC has since replaced Nunes with Ariane Carnelossi, who will now face Hill at UFC Mexico City.

Carnelossi was originally booked to face Taila Santos at UFC Uruguay on August 10, but Santos withdrew from the event beforehand.