Great Job, Nevada!: Robert Drysdale Finally Handed Down Suspension For Failed Drug Test at TUF 19 Finale


(“You have brought great shame upon your chest hair on this day, Mr. Drysdale.” — Brian Ebersole. Photo via MMAJunkie)

When we last checked in with the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s crack team of regulators, we learned that they had yet to drug test middleweight contender/former TRT user/former steroid cheat Vitor Belfort since relicensing him on July 23rd. That NSAC commissioner Anthony Marnell had promised to test Belfort “until the day he retired” before immediately shirking the responsibility to the California State Athletic Commission probably should have come as a big surprise to us. Yet it did not.

And for our second installment of “Great Job, Nevada!”, we return to July, which was apparently a pretty busy month for the NSAC. Aside from the whole Vitor Belfort re-licensing issue, they had to deal with Kevin Casey and Robert Drysdale, who tested positive for drostanolone and elevated testosterone, respectively, at UFC 175 and the TUF 19 Finale (respectfully). While Casey was hit with a $5,600 fine and a year-long suspension almost immediately, Drysdale’s case was pushed back for whatever reason, despite the the fact that it had been his second-such failed test in less than two fights under the UFC banner.

In any case, the word has been handed down and it looks like Drysdale is destined to become one of those “what could’ve been”-type fighters…


(“You have brought great shame upon your chest hair on this day, Mr. Drysdale.” — Brian Ebersole. Photo via MMAJunkie)

When we last checked in with the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s crack team of regulators, we learned that they had yet to drug test middleweight contender/former TRT user/former steroid cheat Vitor Belfort since relicensing him on July 23rd. That NSAC commissioner Anthony Marnell had promised to test Belfort “until the day he retired” before immediately shirking the responsibility to the California State Athletic Commission probably should have come as a big surprise to us. Yet it did not.

And for our second installment of “Great Job, Nevada!”, we return to July, which was apparently a pretty busy month for the NSAC. Aside from the whole Vitor Belfort re-licensing issue, they had to deal with Kevin Casey and Robert Drysdale, who tested positive for drostanolone and elevated testosterone, respectively, at UFC 175 and the TUF 19 Finale (respectfully). While Casey was hit with a $5,600 fine and a year-long suspension almost immediately, Drysdale’s case was pushed back for whatever reason, despite the the fact that it had been his second-such failed test in less than two fights under the UFC banner.

In any case, the word has been handed down and it looks like Drysdale is destined to become one of those “what could’ve been”-type fighters (via MMAFighting):

“I think we have given the industry adequate time to adjust to our elimination of this type of an exemption,” said Commissioner Skip Avansino.

As a result of his failed test, the NAC imposed a one-year suspension on Drysdale retroactive to his July fight, fined Drysdale 33-percent of his $16,000 fight purse ($5,280), and overturned his win over Berish into a no contest.

Why Drysdale is still employed with the UFC is anyone’s guess, but we’d just like to thank those continuously on-point folks over in Nevada for wrapping this up in a timely a manner as possible. (*armpit fart*)

–J. Jones