Cortney Casey – Syndication Server

Cortney Casey accepts 4-month sanction for violating UFC Anti-Doping policy

UFC flyweight Cortney Casey as approved a suspension from USADA after self-reporting use of a prohibited substance.

UFC flyweight [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] is facing a 4-month suspension after self-reporting the use of a non-approved substance.

According to an announcement from U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Casey (10-10 MMA, 6-9 UFC) self-reported the use of a prohibited substance, BPC-157, on June 21, 2023. The substance is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping policy, but Casey was unaware of the classification when prescribed and provided BPC-157 by a doctor for a medical condition.

Due to admitting her use and coming forward with documentation supporting her claim, Casey was eligible for a reduction in the period of her ineligibility to compete.

The full statement reads as follows:

USADA announced today that Cortney Casey, of Glendale, Ariz., has accepted a four-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy.

Casey, 36, self-reported the use of a prohibited substance, BPC-157, to the UFC on June 21, 2023. BPC-157 is a Specified Substance in the class of Non-Approved Substances and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.

Casey immediately provided documentation confirming that she was prescribed and provided BPC-157 by a doctor to help treat a medical condition. After using the substance for a short period of time, she learned that BPC-157 is a prohibited substance and came forward about her use to the UFC. A Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) was not applicable to this Non-Approved Substance. Casey was eligible for a reduction to the period of ineligibility based on her forthright declaration and for her Full and Complete Cooperation.

Casey’s four-month period of ineligibility began on June 1, 2023, the approximate date that she last used the prohibited substance.

BPC-157 is not eligible for a TUE because it is not an approved therapeutic agent in any country, according to the USADA website. It is described as an experimental compound that has been investigated for inflammatory bowel disease and soft tissue healing, but the substance lacks published clinical trial data.

Casey was last in action at UFC on ESPN 39 last July, where she lost a split decision against Antonina Shevchenko. She was scheduled to face Jasmine Jasudavicius in February, but withdrew from the contest beforehand.

Casey’s period of ineligibility is set to expire on Oct. 1, 2023, since her period of ineligibility is retroactive to the approximate date she last used the non-approved substance.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 23-29)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Jan. 23-29.

UFC books Cortney Casey vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius for February

Two flyweights look to rebound on the promotion’s final card of February 2023.

A new women’s flyweight bout is on the UFC docket for February.

At a UFC Fight Night event scheduled for Feb. 25, [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] (10-10 MMA, 6-9 UFC) and [autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will square off. The card will take place at a location and venue to be announced.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. TSN first reported the fight Tuesday.

Casey, 35, has lost three of her most recent four outings. The lone victory came two fights ago against Liana Jojua. The defeats were against Gillian Robertson, JJ Aldrich, and most recently, a split decision to Antonina Shevchenko in July.

Jasudavicius, 33, looks to bounce back from her first UFC loss. After she won a unanimous decision vs. Kay Hansen in her promotional debut in February 2022, Jasudavicius lost a unanimous decision to Natalia Silva in June. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Feb. 25 includes:

Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann
Jordan Leavitt vs. Victor Martinez
Hailey Cowan vs. Ailin Perez
Denys Bondar vs. Ode Osbourne
Cortney Casey vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

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UFC on ESPN 39 post-event facts: Ricky Turcios’ rough striking numbers enter record books

Ricky Turcios landed just 11.5 percent of his strike attempts at UFC on ESPN 39, putting him in the record books for the wrong reasons.

After International Fight Week took over the MMA world, UFC on ESPN 39 on Saturday proved to be something of a hangover card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) put a highlight on the end of a long night of fights, though, when he scored a fifth-round knockout of former UFC champ [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) to extend his winning streak in the lightweight division to six consecutive fights.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 39.

UFC on ESPN 39 pre-event facts: Rafael dos Anjos on cusp of history

Check out the facts and figured behind UFC on ESPN 39, where Rafael dos Anjos near seven hours of cage time.

The UFC continues its busy July schedule Saturday with UFC on ESPN 39, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+.

A high-stakes lightweight clash serves as the main event of the card. Former 155-pound champion [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (32-13 MMA, 20-11 UFC) continued his pursuit of gold when he takes on the surging [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a five-round contest.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 39.

UFC on ESPN 29 loses Liana Jojua vs. Cortney Casey; bout expected to be rescheduled

The bout is expected to be rescheduled for a future date.

UFC on ESPN 29 has lost a women’s flyweight fight.

[autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] is out of her scheduled Aug. 21 meeting with [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] due to visa issues. The fight was expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While the bout won’t be happening on its original date, the matchup is expected to remain intact and be rescheduled for a later event.

Two people with knowledge of the postponement recently informed MMA Junkie of the change, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

For Jojua (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC), her lone UFC victory is sandwiched between defeats. After she dropped her promotional debut to Sarah Moras in September 2019, Jojua defeated Diana Belbita with a first-round armbar. In her most recent outing at UFC 254 in October 2020, Jojua was stopped on a cut against Miranda Maverick.

Casey (9-9 MMA, 5-8 UFC) will enter the fight when it’s rescheduled on a two-fight losing skid. She is 2-5 in her most recent seven, but has been plagued by three close split decision defeats.

The current UFC on ESPN 29 lineup includes:

Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Trevin Jones vs. Mana Martinez
Fabio Cherant vs. William Knight
Austin Hubbard vs. Vinc Pichel
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
Austin Lingo vs. Luis Saldana
Parker Porter vs. Chase Sherman
Brian Kelleher vs. Domingo Pilarte
Clay Guida vs. Mark Madsen
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Sasha Palatnikov
Bea Malecki vs. Josiane Nunes
Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Roosevelt Roberts

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UFC books Cortney Casey vs. Liana Jojua for Aug. 21 event

A women’s flyweight fight has been added to the UFC’s summer schedule.

A women’s flyweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s summer schedule.

During the UFC Fight Night event Aug. 21 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] and [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] will look to punch their tickets back into the win column.

Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Casey (9-9 MMA, 5-8 UFC) aims to snap a two-fight losing skid. She most recently competed in March, when she lost a close split decision to J.J. Aldrich. Seven of Casey’s nine professional victories have come inside the distance, and she’s only been finished in two of her losses.

Jojua (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has not yet gone the distance in her UFC career. After she was finished by ground-and-pound at the hands of Sarah Moras in her promotional debut, Jojua picked up her first UFC win by armbar against Diana Belbita in July 2020. In her most recent outing at UFC 254 this past October, Jojua was sliced open by Miranda Maverick and the fight was called off by the cageside physician.

With the addition, the Aug. 21 UFC lineup now includes:

Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Mana Martinez vs. Jesse Strader
Fabio Cherant vs. William Knight
Austin Hubbard vs. Vinc Pichel
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
Austin Lingo vs. Luis Saldana
Parker Porter vs. Chase Sherman
Brian Kelleher vs. Domingo Pilarte
Clay Guida vs. Mark Madsen
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Sasha Palatnikov
Bea Malecki vs. Josiane Nunes
Cortney Casey vs. Liana Jojua

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UFC Fight Night 187 medical suspensions: Belal Muhammad faces 30 days after eye poke

Belal Muhammad isn’t facing a long time off after suffering a nasty eye poke against Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 187.

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Thankfully, [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] isn’t facing a potentially long medical suspension coming out of UFC Fight Night 187.

Muhammad’s first headliner vs. Leon Edwards was ruled a no contest after Edwards accidentally poked him in the eye 18 seconds into the second round of their welterweight fight. Visibly in pain, Muhammad was unable to continue and, as a result, the fight was stopped without a winner.

Muhammad (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) was able to provide a positive update shortly after, stating that he suffered no permanent damage to his eye and was slowly starting to get his vision back. The medical report supports his claim as Muhammad will be prohibited from any contact for 21 days with no contest for 30 days, until he receives doctor clearance for his right eye.

MMA Junkie on Tuesday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.

The full list of UFC Fight Night 187 medical suspensions includes:

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: No suspension.
Belal Muhammad: Must have right eye cleared by an ophthalmologist, otherwise suspended 30 days; minimum suspension is 21 days.
[autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with 14 days no contact.
[autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: Must have left eye cleared by an ophthalmologist, otherwise suspended 30 days.
[autotag]Ashley Yoder[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until right ear is cleared by ENT.
[autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag]: Must have maxillofacial bones fractures cleared by maxillofacial surgeon and left lamina papyracea cleared by an ophthalmologist, otherwise suspended 180 days.
[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left scalp laceration.
[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Ray Rodriguez[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until left fibula X-ray is cleared by orthopedic doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until right elbow X-ray is cleared by orthopedic doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until right foot and right hand X-rays are cleared by orthopedic doctor; also suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
[autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Gloria de Paula[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
[autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Jason Witt[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.

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UFC Fight Night 187: Cortney Casey media day interview

UFC Fight Night 187: Make your predictions for Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 187 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC Fight Night 187 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC Fight Night 187 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.