A recently signed UFC fighter had the win that earned him his contract overturned to a no contest.
During a monthly Nevada Athletic Commission meeting Wednesday, light heavyweight Levi Rodrigues had his first-round TKO win over Freddy Vidal overturned to a no contest as the result of a failed drug test for nandrolone. Rodrigues (5-0) was also suspended nine months and fined $1,000.60. He is eligible to return July 14.
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The bout in question took place Oct. 14 on Dana White’s Contender Series at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
The positive test caught Rodrigues and his team off guard, his manager, Lucas Lutkus of All in Sports Management, told MMA Junkie at the time of the announced flagging. However, nandrolone wasn’t an unfamiliar substance, and he believes they have keyed in what potentially occurred.
From May 2024 to July 2024, Rodrigues used nandrolone for a back injury. His use stopped a little over one year before he got the call for Dana White’s Contender Series.
Rodrigues was later deemed not “at fault” by the UFC’s internal drug testing program Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD). While the win was what earned Rodrigues a contract, he remains on the UFC roster. The promotion’s had a mixed history of rescinding promotional agreements earned on DWCS.
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Vidal (4-0) had his record reverted to undefeated as a result of the failure. The LAW MMA product went 1-1 in two short-notice appearances on DWCS this past summer.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC signee has Dana White’s Contender Series win overturned
