Reports: Cortney Casey's Texas suspension from UFC 211 lifted, win over Aguilar restored

In the wake of a statement from the UFC calling for one of its fighters to be exonerated in a recent anti-doping case in Texas, the state’s athletic commission has reversed its decision.

According to reports from BloodyElbow.com and MMAFighting.com, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on Friday sent Cortney Casey (7-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) notification that her win over Jessica Aguilar (19-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) at UFC 211 has been restored, and the 90-day suspension she had been given has been lifted.

After an initial test by a laboratory hired by the commission revealed a testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio slightly higher than 4-1, Casey’s “B” sample came back negative for banned substances and synthetic testosterone, Jeff Novitzky, the promotion’s VP of athlete health and performance, told MMAjunkie.

Last week, the promotion announced Casey was cleared of wrongdoing both by a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory and a TDLR-hired lab after a failed post-fight drug test at UFC 211, which took place in March in Dallas.

Yet, the TDLR still hadn’t reversed its decision, prompting the UFC to release a statement Thursday night to put the pressure on. UFC President Dana White also spoke out on Twitter, imploring the TDLR to “get their (expletive) together for the protection of our athletes.”

The statement in full:

“UFC has made it very clear that it takes anti-doping very seriously, instituting the most comprehensive anti-doping program in sports. One of the keys to this program, and any effective world-class program, is ensuring that all athletes are treated to proper due process.

“UFC strawweight Cortney Casey’s recent case, stemming from her fight in Dallas on May 13, 2017, is a perfect example of the type of negative and damaging backlash for an athlete resulting from a false-positive. There is no better example than this for the need to have proper due process and testing in combat sports and professional sports anti-doping.

“Following the results of the additional tests at the WADA-accredited laboratory, proving that Cortney did not cheat nor break any rules, UFC is requesting that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) immediately reverse its ruling and exonerate Cortney of any wrongdoing.

“UFC has offered, and continues to offer, Texas and any other Commission and regulatory body around the world, the world-class expertise and experience of USADA, to assist them in properly carrying out anti-doping efforts in their state or country.”

After the initial test result, the TDLR declared Casey’s win over Aguilar a no-contest and suspended her for 90 days. She also was ordered to pay a fine between $2,000 and $5,000.

According to BloodyElbow.com, the letter Casey received from the TDLR said, in part: “After reexamination of the documents in our possession and careful examination of the Sample B results, your 90-day suspension is lifted effective June 29, 2017, the enforcement case dropped with no further action taken, and the bout “win” reinstated on your record.”

For more on UFC 211, visit the UFC events section of the site.