Bellator bantamweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov has been suspended six months for a failed drug test, and his Bellator 300 win over Brent Primus has been overturned to a no-contest.
Ariel Helwani first reported the news, and California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster confirmed it to MMA Fighting, adding Nurmagomedov has been fined $50,000 for the infraction.
Foster said Nurmagomedov’s drug positive stemmed from a prescription medicine and declined to name the substance. He also did not say whether Nurmagomedov or his team had accepted responsibility for the positive test or signaled a potential appeal. Foster told Helwani that Nurmagomedov is also enrolling in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Program, or VADA.
Nurmagomedov’s rep, Ali Abdelaziz, did not respond to a request for comment.
Nurmagomedov faced Primus in the main event of this past month’s Bellator 300 event in the semifinals of the promotion’s $1 million bantamweight grand prix. After five rounds, Nurmagomedov took home unanimous 50-45 scorecards for a dominant performance.
Bellator President Scott Coker did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Nurmagomedov’s failure or the status of the tournament. Bellator MMA’s future remains an open question with reports swirling of a pending sale to rival PFL. Bellator corporate parent Paramount recently announced it would shutter Showtime Sports at the end of the year.
Primus responded to Nurmagomedov’s positive with a sarcastic jab.
“I just can’t believe a young undefeated fighter, coming from the camp he’s coming from would cheat and use a banned substance,” the Oregon native wrote to MMA Fighting in a text.
Prior to Bellator 300, Nurmagomedov, the younger brother of UFC vet Umar Nurmagomedov and cousin of retired UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, carried an unblemished MMA record with 17 straight wins.
Primus, a former Bellator lightweight champion, made it to the tournament semifinals with a decision over Mansour Barnaoui at Bellator 296.