Junior dos Santos is searching for positives in the midst of his current situation -- both literally and figuratively. And that struggle is starting to get the better of him according the the Brazilian knockout artist.

Two months back the former heavyweight champion was preparing for his scheduled showdown with Francis Ngannou at UFC 215 on Sept. 9 in Edmonton, Canada. The bout was set to be dos Santos' first since falling to champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 in May, and a potential victory over Ngannou would have put "Cigano" back in the running for another shot at the crown.

Yet, dos Santos received notification he'd been flagged by USADA in a pre-fight test for a diuretic and was subsequently removed from his fight against the surging contender.

"At first I was devastated," Dos Santos said in a recent interview with Combate (h/t Jesse Holland of MMA Mania). "I've been in favor of USADA. I've always said how much I support it, how much I want a drugless sport, a fair sport. I've always been clean so my mind is at ease.

"Everything is under investigation, now, but that's another problem because I have no idea where this came from and it's up to me to prove my innocence and that's kind of weird. At first I used to think 'Why is USADA there? For cheaters or for the ones who play by the rules end up as victims?' I'm obviously a victim of a situation that I don't what it is."

Diuretics are prohibited by USADA and are typically used for weight cutting. They also have the ability to mask performance enhancing drugs in an athlete's system as well.

Dos Santos is adamant he wasn't using a diuretic and remains steadfast he's a clean fighter. That said, in order for dos Santos to back up his stance and get his career back in order he'll have to prove his innocence, and that remains a huge struggle for the heavyweight smashing machine.

"I'm getting major support from USADA and from the UFC in my search for answers," dos Santos said. "This not knowing is absurd. It eats you up inside. It's like tearing your soul apart. I've always been very vocal about all this, but now the only thing I ask myself is if USADA is there for cheaters or for innocent people who end up in this situation."