UFC drug czar: We might have to avoid Texas unless they correct error

At UFC 211 in May, UFC women’s strawweight Cortney Casey defeated Jessica Aguilar in Dallas, Texas. The bout was regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) which administered anti-doping tests to the fighters. Casey had a test flagged for a slightly elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio of 5.4:1. Anything over 4:1 is a sign that further testing is appropriate, looking for example, for exogenous testosterone.

At her own expense, Casey had her ‘B’ sample tested and it came back negative. Cortney Casey is clean. However, in a case of a disqualifying lack of understanding about anti-doping tests, Texas had already overturned the bout result to a No Contest, suspended the fighter, and fined her.

At first glance, the 4:1 ratio appears to indicate that the athlete has elevated levels of testosterone. But it doesn’t. As it’s a ratio, it could be that epitestosterone is low, which can, for example, happen from taking birth control pills. And as female fighters are prohibited from fighting while pregnant, some form of birth control is a professional necessity.

It has been 36 hours since Casey was cleared, but there has been no reaction from Texas. UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky, who knows more about anti-doping tests that anyone alive, is not impressed.

He said he reached out to the TDLR immediately upon hearing about the flagged test, and attempted to explain that there are innocent reasons that the levels could have been elevated. Novitzky said the TDLR responded by saying flatly that any T/E result over 4-1 is a positive test.

There are instances where athletes have physiological issues within their body that they just naturally have higher T/E ratios, he explained to Steven Marrocco for MMAjunkie. An athlete could potentially be taking an allowed substance, potentially birth control, (and) they could suppress some of the epitestosterone and show a mildly elevated level.

I reached out to the attorney general’s office, the commission, and the investigator – I said, ‘Hey, here are the results. When can we expect a redaction of her previously announced positive test?’ And it’s been complete radio silence. Here we are 36 hours later, and they have not communicated with me, and they have not communicated with Cortney.

Basically, she hadn’t done anything wrong. It’s burning me up because the whole process has been unfair to begin with, and here we are 36 hours later. This girl should be cleared publicly, and she hasn’t been yet.”

I think it’s pretty extreme, but thinking through things, if these problems aren’t fixed, the only recourse may be that we don’t make our athletes subject to this, and in the future, we can’t go to Texas. I don’t think it’s going to get to that level, but certainly that’s been a topic of discussion.

It’s an awful scenario for her. She’s always going to have to live with that. It’s a headline on Page 1 and a redaction on Page 12. My concern is that there will be others that don’t hear she was cleared and always will look at her as a cheater, and that’s simply not the case.

TDLR spokesperson Susan Stanford said it is still an open case, and thus declined to comment on Casey’s case. While Novitzky and USADA, which he selected to independently handle the UFC’s anti-doping tests, have come under fire for sometimes months-long delays before making a determination, cases like this are important lessons for the sport in why rushing to for example overturn a bout can be disastrous for the athlete, and for the integrity of anti-doping efforts generally.

While Novitzky and USADA, which he selected to independently handle the UFC’s anti-doping tests, have come under fire for sometimes months-long delays before making a determination, cases like this are important lessons for the sport in why rushing to for example overturn a bout can be disastrous for the athlete, and for the integrity of anti-doping efforts generally.