Cortney Casey picked up a unanimous decision win over Jessica Aguilar at UFC 211, but the result would be overturned to a no contest by the Texas Department Of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) after the fighter potentially failed a drug test.
UFC VP Of Athlete Health & Performance in Jeff Novitsky says that both the promotion and the TLDR got back the results from Casey’s B sample and they came back negative for all banned substances.
Casey had initially failed the drug test, with at least the "A" sample did over the 4 to 1 testosterone ratio that was allowable by the TLDR.
Elevated levels of testosterone don’t necessarily mean the fighter did anything illegal, which is something Novitsky stated to MMA Fighting.
“Her slightly elevated T:E ratio was just a product of her natural physiology and not anything she did wrong,” Novitzky said. “She didn’t cheat. A T:E ratio, in and of itself — especially mildly high — is never grounds for a public announcement of a positive test.”
Although the fighter has been exonerated by the UFC and the B sample test, the TLDR have yet to change the result of the fight or reduce her three month suspension.
Despite being exonerated, the fighter also feels that she is always going to be viewed as a cheater by her peers.
“Even now with the result in my favor, people will just say I found a loophole,” Casey told MMA Fighting. “I will always be considered a cheater in some people’s eyes. If you look at the science, there is no loophole to it. It sucks. It just sucks.”
Novitsky feels that if there is one positive in the whole situation, it is that the due process done by the UFC and USADA does work out in the end.
“The only good thing that I can say to come out of this is it’s a good example of what USADA and what I can do in my position to ensure athletes get their proper due process when it comes to athletic commission drug testing,” Novitzky said. “There’s been some criticism and I think we’ve educated people on it, but there’s been criticism from media and commissions on why USADA takes so long to come back with results. I think this is a glaring example of why. When USADA announces something publicly, they’re 100 percent sure. They’ve dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s.”
Before her win was overturned by the TLDR, the fighter had a record of 3-3-0 in the UFC, the fighter now sits below .500 at the moment.
