Having announced the split from the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA), the UFC have now created their own created their own drug-testing programme and found another, alternative agency to collect samples.
We didn’t expect this as when Dana White spoke on the Pat Macafee show, he stated:
“We would still pay an independent company. It’s the best way to do it.”
The leading candidate should have been the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). WADA is the authority when it comes to various different sports. Whether it be boxing or the Olympics, they often do a sufficient job. Ultimately, fans and fighters alike must accept that no test and therefore no doping agency’s work can be 100% every single time. More often than not, however, WADA get it correct.
What do WADA do?
As per their website:
WADA’s primary role is to develop, harmonize and coordinate anti-doping rules and policies across all sports and countries.
This is of vital importance for the UFC. They have a vastly multi-cultural roster with fighters coming from across the globe, meaning that testing has to be consistent, regardless of a fighters location.
They also run under the ‘strict liability’ rule. This means that the fighters are responsible for what they put in their bodies. This is regardless of how it got there or whether it was taken with an intention to cheat. This is particularly important when it comes to tainted supplements and alike.
Drug Testing in the UFC Going Forwards
As per Thursday’s press conference on the matter, Jess Novitzky informed the masses that the UFC is partnering with Drug Free Sport International. Novitzky annouced at the presser that:
“[Drug Free Sport International] currently handle collection duties for the following professional sports leagues — they have 325 long-term tenured sports clients including the NFL, the NCAA, Major League Baseball, NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, horse racing integrity and welfare unit, PGA, LPGA, FIFA, Crossfit. They actually help out with some drug-testing with various National Anti-Doping Authorities throughout the world and various sports federations. They virtually collect samples for everybody.”
Not only this, but the UFC have also hired Saddam Hussein interrogator, the former FBI agent, George Piro to be the independent administrator.
Novitzky says that the independent administrator running the UFC’s next anti-doping program is George Piro.
George Piro was a special agent in charge at the FBI’s Miami Field Office, was the Team Leader of the Saddam Hussein Interrogation Team in 2004 (per Wikipedia)
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 12, 2023
Why a Mistake has been made
Despite Drug Free Sport International certainly being competent, WADA would have been a better option. They have the experience when it comes to combat sports, have worked with different commissions constantly and also offer the ‘whole package’, rather than two different entities getting involved, one collecting the samples and one running the tests on said samples.
It’s makes it difficult, confusing and is easily avoidable. We’ll have to wait and see how effective the new era is going forwards but everyone will be hoping that it works straight off the bat.
