The UFC held a press conference this week to discuss their new Athlete Marketing and Development program. The press conference announced partnerships with Fusionetics and EXOS, revealed plans for a rehab facility called the UFC Lab, and officially introduced Jeff Novitzky as the head of the program. The centerpiece of the presser, however, was the unveiling of the UFC drug policy in conjunction with the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
The policy is robust. Performance-enhancing drugs will be tested both in and out of competition. The first failed test is subject to a two-year suspension and the potential for four years for “aggravated circumstances.” Penalties double for second and third offenses.
Recreational drugs will only be tested in competition, which the UFC defines as six hours before the weigh-in until six hours after the fight. Penalties for a failed test start at one year, and like the PED penalties, double for aggravated circumstances and second and third offenses.
Fighters may lose their ranking, belt, or compensation for a failed test. They will be responsible for informing USADA of their whereabouts at all times. Failure to do so or missing a test will count as a strike against the fighter; three strikes will be considered a failed test. USADA will administer a minimum of 2750 tests over the course of the year.
This is a great start toward curbing doping in the sport of mixed martial arts. However, I believe the UFC can – and should – do more.
For starters, USADA does not list caffeine on its list of banned substances. Caffeine has known performance-enhancing effects. Antonio Margarito could be seen pounding several cups of coffee prior to his 2010 bout with Manny Pacquiao.
This is a glaring oversight that USADA should rectify immediately. Caffeine, like many drugs, is safe when used in a responsible manner, but we can’t trust caffeine in the hands of athletes who are looking for each and every edge. According to WebMD, caffeine taken in “fairly high doses” can cause insomnia, nausea, increased heart rate, and complication with a variety of disorders. Taken in “very high doses,” caffeine can cause irregular heart beats or death. The sport cannot survive a caffeine-related death.
The UFC should also improve on the punishments for a failed test. Two years may seem like a long time, but that is but a blink of the eye in the long timeline of the universe. No, an immediate lifetime ban is the most appropriate disciplinary measure. Fighting is a privilege and not a right, and anyone who would be willing to disgrace the good and pure name of combat sports should lose that privilege. As they say, once a cheater, always a cheater.
But there’s one thing the UFC could do that would make the above concerns moot: house all the fighters at the new UFC Lab.
It’s curious that a building called the “UFC Lab” would operate otherwise. In any event, the UFC has ten years of experience in fighter hospitality. The UFC would generously provide everything the fighter needs: food, training resources, transportation to UFC-approved events and facilities.
Imagine the benefits this policy would bring. The UFC wouldn’t have to worry about drug tests or keeping track of the fighters whereabouts. Champions would never abuse a spouse or drive under the influence. Fighters would never be tempted by people out to get their money like “managers” or “agents.” Providing the same meals and training resources to each member of the roster would create a true “level-playing field” and eliminate economic inequality. What little labor strife exists between the UFC and its fighter would dissipate in the event such a utopia existed.
You might ask about the legalities of such a proposal. Fighters are considered independent contractors, after all, and “forcing” (your word, not mine) them to spend their UFC career under the watchful and benevolent eyes of Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta. The UFC’s executive vice president and chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein addressed that concern when discussing the drug policy:
“I don’t think there’s a concern about it from a legal standpoint,” Epstein said, specifically on the topic of the enhanced drug testing. “This is just part of the conditions of being a UFC athlete. You’ve got to submit yourself to being part of our 365-day-per-year drug-testing protocol. … If you want to be a UFC fighter, this is just something you have to do.”
And why wouldn’t the fighters want to submit to such a thing when the betterment of the sport and the UFC is on the line?
