USADA Announces Split From UFC, Points Finger at Conor McGregor & Joe Rogan
USADA have announced that their partnership with the UFC is coming to an end, which will take effect on January 1, 2024.
CEO Travis Tygart issued a press-statement indicating that their relationship with the UFC had become strained - primarily due to conflicting positions regarding Conor McGregor's reintegration into the testing pool.
"We can confirm that Conor McGregor has re-entered the USADA testing pool as of Sunday, October 8, 2023," Tygart said in his statement (courtesy of Ariel Helwani). "We have been clear and firm with the UFC that there should be no exception given by the UFC for McGregor to fight until he has returned two negative tests and been in the pool for at least six months."
Tygart registered his concern that the UFC won't honor the requirement and will try to get McGregor fighting earlier than the agreement:
"...We do not currently know whether the UFC will ultimately honor the six-month or longer agreement... USADA will no longer be involved with the UFC Anti-Doping Program. ...The UFC did an about-face and informed USADA on [Oct 9] that it was going in a different direction."
In a hefty statement, Tygart highlighted USADA's disappointment in the outcome:
"We are disappointed for UFC athletes [who rely on USADA] to protect their rights to a clean, safe, and fair octagon. The UFC's move imperils the immense progress made within the sport under USADA's leadership."
USADA's relationship with the UFC apparently became "untenable" when it came to McGregor's reintegration specifically:
"The relationship between USADA and UFC became untenable [when UFC leaders and others started questioning] USADA's principled stance that McGregor not be allowed to fight without being in the testing pool for at least six months."
Tygart then referred to remarks made by UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who recently boasted that USADA was a "mistake" during his podcast:
RELATED: Joe Rogan Wants USADA Out Of UFC, Thinks Outside Drug Testing Was A "Mistake"
"One UFC commentator echoed this, recently declaring that USADA should not oversee the UFC program since we [didn't let McGregor bypass our rules], and since we do not allow fighters to use performance-enhancing drugs like experimental, unapproved peptides or testosterone for healing or injuries simply to get back in the octagon."
Tygart wrapped up his remarks by highlighting the stark disparity in values between USADA and the UFC when it comes to the sport:
"Fighters' long-term health and safety --- in addition to a fair and level playing field --- are more important to USADA than short-term profits at the expense of clean athletes."
In making this statement, USADA has, whether intentionally or unintentionally, implied that the UFC may have tried to evade its anti-doping regulations. If this holds true, it could shed light on potential favoritism towards the UFC's top stars, as they may be trying to leverage their status to bypass rules that 99% of the roster must adhere to.
This is a terrible image for the promotion, and a significant cause for concern would be if McGregor were to make a comeback earlier than expected in 2024.
The statement explained that McGregor re-entered the pool on October 8, which indicates his earliest possible return date as April 8, 2024, in compliance with the six-month rule. Make a note of this date; if "The Notorious" makes a comeback before that time, it would suggest that the UFC did not adhere to USADA's regulations and possibly never intended to from the outset.
The UFC is about to undergo some huge changes as its drug testing likely goes in-house. Follow MMA Knockout for further developments.
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