Less than a month after scoring their first UFC wins, grappling aces Robert Drysdale and Kevin Casey each failed drug tests administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Drysdale improved to 7-0 when he won via first-round submission over Keith Berish at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on July 6. The day before, Casey notched his fourth straight win by recording a first-round KO of Bubba Bush at UFC 175.
Drysdale failed his test due to an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 12-to-1, according to Deputy Attorney General Christopher Eccles, per a report by MMAJunkie.com. The NSAC allows a (T/E) ratio of 6-to-1.
Casey, meanwhile, tested positive for drostanolone, an anabolic steroid.
Update: Kevin Casey apologies for his actions via Twitter.
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Both wins will likely be deemed no contests, and Casey and Drysdale could receive suspensions and fines. It’s yet to be scheduled, but both fighters will stand before the NSAC in a future hearing.
No other competitor from UFC 175 or The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale tested positive for any banned substances or elevated (T/E) ratios. The NSAC used blood and urine tests for UFC 175. Only urine screens were utilized for The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale.
Two fighters were pulled from UFC 175 due to issues with drug tests and the NSAC. Wanderlei Silva first refused to take a random drug test in May, and then later admitted to taking diuretics. And Chael Sonnen tested positive for five banned substances in June, an incident that led to his retirement.
The 33-year-old Drysdale has struggled personally since signing with the UFC in 2013. Drysdale had to pull out of his first scheduled bout with the company at UFC 163 due to a staph infection. The submission wizard was then denied at license by the NSAC following a pre-fight drug screen for UFC 167 that showed his testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio at 19.4-to-1.
Casey, also 33 years old, failed a drug test for the first time in his seven-year career. Casey dropped his promotional debut to Josh Samman via TKO (knees) at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.
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