Brad Scott has been banished from the UFC for the next two years following a positive test for a cocaine metabolite — the exact same substance Jon Jones tested positive for prior to UFC 182.
UFC middleweight (and sometimes welterweight) Brad Scott won’t be fighting any time soon. On Tuesday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) distributed a press release announcing that Scott (11-6) had accepted a two-year suspension as punishment for a violation of the promotion’s Anti-Doping Policy.
Scott last competed at UFC Fight Night 130 in Liverpool, England, losing a split decision to Carlo Pedersoli Jr. That marked his second straight loss. Overall, Scott has gone 3-5 in the UFC to date. Scott fought Robert Whittaker in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight tournament, losing the show. He has struggled to find his footing since.
In Tuesday’s press release, USADA noted that
Scott, 29, tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, as the result of a urine sample he provided in-competition on May 27, 2018, at Fight Night 130 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Cocaine is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Stimulants and prohibited in-competition under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
USADA conducted a thorough investigation into Scott’s case and determined Scott had not provided verifiable evidence regarding the circumstances that led to his positive test. Scott’s two-year period of ineligibility, the standard sanction for a first offense involving a non-Specified Substance, began on July 3, 2018, the date his provisional suspension was imposed.
Keen eyed MMA fans will note that Jon Jones also tested positive the exact same cocaine metabolite a couple of years back. However, as that failed drug test was out-of-competition, and the substance is not banned under those circumstances, Jones was allowed to compete regardless. News of that test failure, however, did not sit well with then-light heavyweight title challenger Daniel Cormier.
As noted by USADA, Scott’s suspension will be backdated to July 3, 2018, the date of his provisional suspension. That makes him eligible to return in July 2020.
