NAC suspends UFC's Robert Drysdale for one year after positive drug test
Robert Drysdale is going to have to wait awhile to try and continue his MMA undefeated streak.
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) handed the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist a one-year suspension Monday after he tested positive for elevated testosterone levels following his UFC debut victory against Keith Berish in July. Drysdale will also forfeit 33 percent of his fight purse and his win was changed to a no contest.
The 33-year-old Drysdale (6-0, 1 NC) told the NAC that he was on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) treatment up until two months before his July 6 fight with Berish at the TUF 19 Finale in Las Vegas. TRT was banned by Nevada in February and that ban was subsequently carried out by most other athletic commissions and the UFC.
Drysdale never disclosed to the commission that he previously used TRT before the fight. His drug test came back with a testosterone-to-epitestosterone level of 12:1, significantly above the NAC's limit of 4:1.
This isn't Drysdale's first run-in with the commission. He was also denied a Nevada license in 2013 after an out-of-competition drug test revealed an even higher ratio -- 19.4:1. That was before Drysdale ever even debuted in the UFC.
Drysdale, who trains and runs a gym in Las Vegas, has won all of his pro MMA fights by submission. He defeated Berish by rear-naked choke in the first round, but now that will not stand as a victory on his record. Drysdale made $16,000 for the win, so he will be fined $5,280.
As of Monday afternoon, Drysdale, a multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, remained on the UFC roster. He will not be able to compete until July 2015.
