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Kelvin Gastelum Popped By USADA, Pulled From Fight Against Anderson Silva Over Positive Drug Test

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Gastelum just can’t get a break, in between impressive wins he’s faced issues outside the cage with weight difficulty and now he’s been flagged after an in-competition drug test during his bout last month in Brazil, where a sample that was collected from his has tested positive for Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (“Carboxy-THC”), which is a metabolite of cannabis.




USADA Strikes Again

Top contender Kelvin Gastelum was flagged by USADA and placed under a provisional suspension by the UFC, and he’s been pulled from his upcoming fight against Anderson Silva. This is a huge bummer, but if it ends up sticking – fighters know the rules, so we have to wonder what happened here.

There’s always a debate as to whether cannabis helps with training and recovery and gives you an unfair advantage, many BJJ players say that it helps them focus and get in the zone on the mats, which can certainly be a big advantage. But let’s not pretend that cannabis is straight up steroids either, there’s a distinction to be made between the two, so hopefully if Kelvin does end up with a suspension that sticks, it’s nothing overkill like when they tried to give Nick Diaz a 5 year ban.

Anyone who was introduced to Kelvin during his run on The Ultimate Fighter has probabally been rooting for the guy ever since, by all accounts he’s a great dude, and it’s a bummer that he’s getting pulled from this huge opportunity against Anderson Silva.

Here’s the UFC’s press release: 

“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informed Kelvin Gastelum of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation involving Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (“Carboxy-THC”) which is a metabolite of marijuana and/or hashish, above the decision limit of 180 ng/mL, stemming from an in-competition sample collected in conjunction with his recent bout in Fortaleza, Brazil on March 11, 2017.

USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Gastelum, as it relates to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and future UFC participation. Because the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) was the regulatory body overseeing the fight in Fortaleza and has licensing jurisdiction over Gastelum, USADA will work to ensure that the Commission has the necessary information to determine its proper judgment of Gastelum’s potential anti-doping violation. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.

As a result of the potential anti-doping violation against Gastelum, USADA has placed him under a provisional suspension. While the UFC Anti-Doping Policy affords Gastelum full and fair due process rights before any possible adjudication of his case, because of the proximity to Gastelum’s scheduled June 3rd bout against Anderson Silva, Gastelum is being removed from the card and a replacement is currently being sought.”


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