UFC welterweight Niko Price will be sidelined six months after the Nevada State Athletic Commission handed down a suspension following a positive drug test for marijuana following his fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in September.
The commission issued the sanction during a monthly meeting on Wednesday.
In addition to his six-month suspension, Price was also fined $8,500 and his draw with Cerrone will now be overturned and declared a no-contest.
While marijuana is completely legal in Nevada, the drug remains on the banned substances list for athletes competing in the state whenever testing positive over a certain threshold. In this case, Price tested above that legal limit and now he’ll have to sit out for six months and pay a fine as a result.
The fight against Cerrone was a back-and-forth battle over three rounds with Price facing a point deduction for repeated eye pokes. The contest was eventually scored a majority draw but now it will show as a no contest for both athletes.
Price had been previously sanctioned in Texas after testing positive for marijuana in 2017.
Thank you all for the kind words. I’ll be back and ready to throw down right away after this suspension in march/April @ufc @seanshelby #ufc
— Niko Price (@Nikohybridprice) December 2, 2020
This is a similar outcome after the Nevada Commission suspended UFC newcomer Trevin Jones for 4 1⁄2 months while overturning his win to a no-contest back in October. Kevin Croom also faced a 4 1/2-month suspension as well as his win over Roosevelt Roberts being overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for marijuana in September.
