Tag: TUF 19 Finale

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

UFC Drug-Fail Alert: Kevin Casey Tests Positive for Steroids, Robert Drysdale Tests Positive for Elevated Testosterone (Again)

(And yet, this is still the most shameful thing that Kevin Casey has ever done.)

Drug testing at the UFC’s back-to-back events in Las Vegas earlier this month caught two more PED-cheaters, who will be facing fines, suspensions, and the overturning of their victories. MMA Junkie broke the news yesterday evening.

We’ll begin with middleweight Kevin Casey, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone following his 61-second TKO of Bubba Bush in the curtain-jerking match at UFC 175. The fight represented a second chance in the UFC for “King” Casey, who bounced out of the promotion last year after a stint on TUF 17. Unfortunately, Casey has pissed all over that chance, and might find himself on the chopping block after this one.

Fun fact: Though 2014 has been plagued by positive drug tests for elevated testosterone, HGH, EPO, hCG, and assorted hormone regulators and diuretics, this is the first time all year that a fighter has tested positive for old-school steroids. UPDATE: I was wrong. Bellator welterweight Herman Terrado tested positive for the same steroid in April.

And in “enough testosterone to choke a horse” news…


(And yet, this is still the most shameful thing that Kevin Casey has ever done.)

Drug testing at the UFC’s back-to-back events in Las Vegas earlier this month caught two more PED-cheaters, who will be facing fines, suspensions, and the overturning of their victories, pending a formal hearing. MMA Junkie broke the news yesterday evening.

We’ll begin with middleweight Kevin Casey, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone following his 61-second TKO of Bubba Bush in the curtain-jerking match at UFC 175 on July 5th. The fight represented a second chance in the UFC for “King” Casey, who bounced out of the promotion last year after a stint on TUF 17. Unfortunately, Casey has pissed all over that chance, and might find himself on the chopping block after this one.

Fun fact: Though 2014 has been plagued by positive drug tests for elevated testosterone, HGH, EPO, hCG, and assorted hormone regulators and diuretics, this is the first time all year that a fighter has tested positive for old-school steroids. UPDATE: I was wrong. Bellator welterweight Herman Terrado tested positive for the same steroid in April.

And in “enough testosterone to choke a horse” news, light-heavyweight jiu-jitsu phenom Robert Drysdale was caught with an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 12:1 following his first-round submission win over Keith Berish at the TUF 19 Finale on July 6th. The allowed ratio in Nevada is 6:1, which is already a much higher T/E ratio than any human being should have naturally.

Even though Drysdale’s appearance at the TUF 19 Finale marked his UFC debut, it’s actually the second drug test he’s failed for elevated testosterone. In 2013, Drysdale was denied a license to compete at UFC 167 after an out-of-competition drug test came back with a whopping 19.4:1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio. Following his first failed drug test, Drysdale claimed that he was only on TRT for a little over a month, and he wasn’t on it long enough to feel much of an effect. (“I will not take an ounce of blame for dishonesty, because there was no dishonesty on my part. I would take some blame for not understanding the process.”)

I wonder how much blame Drysdale will accept for this one. At any rate, having more failed drug tests than actual fights in the UFC is a bad look. We’ll keep you posted when punishments are officially handed down for Drysdale and Casey.

In the wake of this news, we’ve made a long-overdue update to our MMA and Testosterone Bust Timeline, which turned five years old yesterday. Time flies when you’re juiced to the gills.

Photo of the Year Nominee: Frankie Edgar, What Hath Thou Wrought?


(via the UFC’s instagram.)

Following his utterly dominant win over BJ Penn in their completely pointless trilogy fight at the TUF 19 Finale last weekend, Frankie Edgar did not sound like a man who had just defeated a legend of the game for the third straight time. He was happy to have another win under his belt, sure, but in his post-fight speech with Jon Anik, he sounded withdrawn, disappointed. Guilty even. He sounded like a man who had just committed a mercy killing, and perhaps rightfully so.

“I almost feel bad about it,” said Edgar.

At the post-fight press conference that evening, Edgar was similarly short of words. Penn, Edgar’s quote unquote “greatest rival” and a man who made him a champion and a bonafide star in defeat, broke down in tears while answering questions about his legacy, the very legacy that Edgar had officially brought an end to just moments earlier. Frankie seemed almost sorry for having been the man to do it.

For a professional fighter, Frankie Edgar doesn’t appear to have a mean bone in his body, which is what makes this candid photo of Edgar and Penn embracing backstage following the TUF 19 Finale all the more telling. Simply put, Edgar’s face reads like a road map of heartache here. Sorrow, guilt, empathy, and respect — all captured in one perfectly timed photo.


(via the UFC’s instagram.)

Following his utterly dominant win over BJ Penn in their completely pointless trilogy fight at the TUF 19 Finale last weekend, Frankie Edgar did not sound like a man who had just defeated a legend of the game for the third straight time. He was happy to have another win under his belt, sure, but in his post-fight speech with Jon Anik, he sounded withdrawn, disappointed. Guilty even. He sounded like a man who had just committed a mercy killing, and perhaps rightfully so.

“I almost feel bad about it,” said Edgar.

At the post-fight press conference that evening, Edgar was similarly short of words. Penn, Edgar’s quote unquote “greatest rival” and a man who made him a champion and a bonafide star in defeat, broke down in tears while answering questions about his legacy, the very legacy that Edgar had officially brought an end to just moments earlier. Frankie seemed almost sorry for having been the man to do it.

For a professional fighter, Frankie Edgar doesn’t appear to have a mean bone in his body, which is what makes this candid photo of Edgar and Penn embracing backstage following the TUF 19 Finale all the more telling. Simply put, Edgar’s face reads like a road map of heartache here. Sorrow, guilt, empathy, and respect — all captured in one perfectly timed photo.

It’s almost as if Edgar had come to the realization that he was (at least partially) responsible for reducing a legend of the game to a literal shell of his former self at that exact moment. “What have I done?” he appears to be asking himself. “And where do I go from here?”

Had Penn’s face been captured in this photo, we’re sure it would have read the same.

–J. Jones

UFC 175 and TUF 19 Finale to Be Held on Same Weekend in Las Vegas, July 5-6


(Once, they were champions. Now, they’ve got the Sunday night shift, headlining a semi-pro card for a crowd of townies with comped tickets, as sanitation workers dutifully sweep up the mess that the tourists left behind. / Photo via Getty)

I don’t know what’s more insane — the UFC holding two events on the same day on two different continents, or the UFC holding two events on the same weekend in the same city, in the same damn venue. Yesterday, the UFC announced that UFC 175 (headliner TBA) and the TUF 19 Finale (which will be headlined by Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn 3) will take place on Saturday, July 5th, and Sunday, July 6th, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The events will conclude UFC International Fight Week 2014 (July 1-6), which will feature a UFC Fan Expo and many other related activities. Besides Edgar vs. Penn, no other bouts for either card have been reported yet. We’ll keep you posted as this sprawling UFC double-album fills up.


(Once, they were champions. Now, they’ve got the Sunday night shift, headlining a semi-pro card for a crowd of townies with comped tickets, as sanitation workers dutifully sweep up the mess that the tourists left behind. / Photo via Getty)

I don’t know what’s more insane — the UFC holding two events on the same day on two different continents, or the UFC holding two events on the same weekend in the same city, in the same damn venue. Yesterday, the UFC announced that UFC 175 (headliner TBA) and the TUF 19 Finale (which will be headlined by Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn 3) will take place on Saturday, July 5th, and Sunday, July 6th, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The events will conclude UFC International Fight Week 2014 (July 1-6), which will feature a UFC Fan Expo and many other related activities. Besides Edgar vs. Penn, no other bouts for either card have been reported yet. We’ll keep you posted as this sprawling UFC double-album fills up.