Gastelum suspended by USADA after testing positive for marijuana
UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum has received a nine-month suspension from USADA after failing a drug test for marijuana metabolites last November, the UFC anti-doping partner announced Monday.
The sanction, retroactive to Nov. 3, was reduced by five months after Gastelum completed a drug treatment program.
Gastelum became eligible to return to the Octagon in early March.
The 28-year-old tested positive for a urinary metabolite of THC, the main psychoactive constituent of marijuana, in an in-competition drug test related to his UFC 244 bout against Darren Till on Nov. 2 in New York.
Gastelum also tested positive for marijuana metabolites in 2017 and was suspended by USADA for three months.
His positive test falls under the jurisdiction of the New York State Athletic Commission, which regulated UFC 244. The commission told MMA Fighting's Damon Martin on Tuesday that Gastelum would not receive a second suspension.
Gastelum lost to Till via split decision, dropping his second straight fight.