Back in March, former welterweight contender and surging middleweight star Kelvin Gastelum scored an incredible, first-round knockout win over MMA legend Vitor Belfort. Unfortunately, this loss has been scratched from Gastelum’s record, and replaced with the words “no contest.”
Shortly after his defeat of Belfort, news broke that Gastelum had tested positive for the banned substance carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol – more commonly known as THC, which is a key metabolite in marijuana. With this news, Gastelum was yanked from a planned middleweight bout with another Brazilian legend in Anderson Silva, and temporarily suspended.
Now, he has received his sentencing.
Part of his sentencing, of course, is that his defeat of Belfort has been overturned – though the majority of fans will probably still consider it a win, as he only tested positive for marijuana. In addition to this new and ugly no contest on his record, Gastelum will have to return 20% of his purse to the sanctioning Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA). He’s also been handed a 90-day suspension, retroactive to the date of his failed test (March 11).
This news was first reported by Combate.
Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, a representative from the Superior Tribunal de Justica Desportiva do MMA (STJDMMA) explained Gastelum’s situation:
“Marcelo Sedlmayer Jorge, president of the Superior Sports Justice Court – MMA and the entity’s attorney (Emmanuel Guedes Ferreira), in a joint effort with CABMMA, represented by Cristiano Sampaio, have formalized an agreement with the athlete Kelvin Gastelum, his lawyers and USADA.
“The athlete has officially confessed to the use of the Carboxy-THC substance, has publicly apologized. The athlete makes a commitment not to break any other norm of the sport, under risk of aggravated penalties due to repeated offense.”
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Do you think Kelvin Gastelum deserves this punishment? What are your thoughts on marijuana use among mixed martial artists? Make your opinion heard in the comments!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/7/2017.