Undefeated prospect Levi Rodrigues Jr. made a striking entrance into the UFC, knocking out Freddy Vidal at Dana White’s Contender Series last October to earn a contract. However, that win has now been overturned to a no-contest. The Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed its verdict during its monthly meeting on Wednesday while handing down a suspension for the fighter.

According to an MMA Junkie report, the Nevada Commission, during its meeting, revealed that Rodrigues Jr. had tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone in connection with his DWCS bout against Vidal. As a result, the Brazilian light heavyweight has been suspended for nine months and will also have to pay a fine of $1,000.60.

According to the report, the positive test came as a surprise to Rodrigues’ team, including his manager, Lucas Lutkus of All in Sports Management. However, he understands what could have happened here. The Brazilian used nandrolone between May 2024 and July 2024 for a back injury. However, according to Lutkus, he stopped taking it a year before the offer from Dana White’s Contender Series came.

UFC’s internal drug testing program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), ruled that Rodrigues Jr. was not “at fault,” likely on the basis that the substance was used for recovery purposes rather than performance enhancement, though the ruling did not elaborate further.

While Levi Rodrigues Jr. is sidelined until July 14th, the 5-0 fighter remains part of the UFC roster. But that could change at any moment, given the promotion’s history of rescinding agreements earned on DWCS after a positive result. Meanwhile, his opponent, Freddy Vidal, has had his undefeated record reverted to its 4-0 spot as a result of the no-contest. Rodrigues Jr. wasn’t the only DWCS fighter sanctioned at Wednesday’s commission meeting.

The commission handed down another suspension to Darion Abbey for his August 2025 DWCS bout against Donte Johnson. Abbey tested positive for clomiphene in samples collected ahead of his knockout loss to Johnson. As a result, the 7-5 fighter has been suspended for nine months. Abbey was also fined $750 plus an additional $157.04 in prosecution and legal fees, bringing his total penalty to $907.04.

Rodrigues Jr.’s case is part of a broader pattern of enhanced CSAD enforcement this year.

Two other UFC fighters were suspended for positive drug tests in 2026

This year, the Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) agency has been closely monitoring fighters, and it didn’t hesitate to suspend ranked UFC fighter Iasmin Lucindo when she tested positive for mesterolone. Following a test conducted in September, the agency found the banned substance in her system, which led to the cancellation of her scheduled fight against Gillian Robertson.

The ranked fighter also received a nine-month suspension, pushing her return timeline to June 24, 2026. After detecting the banned substance, CSAD also coordinated with the Nevada State Athletic Commission for further assistance.

However, CSAD later stated that Lucindo received a relatively lighter punishment because they believe the Brazilian may have ingested the substance unknowingly as part of her diet supplementation. Lucindo’s clean track record as well as her cooperation with the investigation, also worked in her favor. While that came as a relief for the UFC fighter, not everyone was as fortunate.

Along with Iasmin Lucindo, brother of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Mohammed Usman tested positive for the banned peptide BPC-157. As a result, the commission handed him a 30-month suspension. Following this, the UFC released him from their roster.

That said, as UFC fighters continue to face suspensions this year, can they return from long layoffs and climb back to the top? And can Levi Rodrigues Jr. still live up to the hype as a top prospect? The nine-month suspension marks a significant setback for a prospect once surrounded by hype, leaving his UFC future in question and serving as a cautionary tale for other rising stars.