Brazilian sports court suspends Kelvin Gastelum 90 days, overturns victory for failed marijuana test

Kelvin Gastelum and the Brazilian MMA Sports Court (STJDMMA) have entered into a plea agreement following his positive drug test for marijuana.

Gastelum will be suspended 90 days, fined 20 percent of his purse and his victory over Vitor Belfort at UFC Fight Night 106 will be overturned to a no contest, STJDMMA president Marcelo Sedlmayer confirmed Sunday with MMA Fighting. Brazil’s Combate was the first to report the news.

Gastelum, 25, tested positive for cannabis in a sample collected on the day of UFC Fight Night 106 on March 11, the UFC announced last month. Cannabinoid metabolites are prohibited in competition over the 150 ng/ml threshold. Gastelum originally defeated Belfort by first-round TKO. The suspension will be retroactive to the date of the sample collection.

When the failed drug test was announced, Gastelum was provisionally suspended by USADA and pulled from a scheduled bout with Anderson Silva at UFC 213 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gastelum is still facing a further sanction from USADA, which has yet to be made official.

In the plea agreement, Gastelum admitted to the use of Carboxy-THC. If he fails another drug test for cannabinoids, he will go before the STJDMMA and face an “aggressive” sanction, per the statement sent by Sedlmayer. The STJDMMA is the judicial body connected with the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission.

Gastelum (13-2, 1 NC) was on a two-fight winning streak heading into the bout with Belfort. The Arizona resident moved back up to middleweight last year after weight issues at welterweight and defeated Tim Kennedy by third-round TKO at UFC 205 in November.