UFC Unveils New USADA Replacement

A new era in UFC anti-doping is here.

The UFC has unveiled its new anti-doping program to replace the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

USADA Announces Split From UFC, Points Finger at Conor McGregor & Joe Rogan

An overview of the new regulations was set out in a post made to the UFC's official website on December 28.

Here's a summary:

• Athletes will still be subject to "no-notice" sample collections by the UFC's new sample and collection agency 'Drug Free Sport International' (DFSI). 
• DFSI will not have the authority to pass judgment on violations.
• Samples will be tested by 'Sports Medicine and Research Testing Laboratory' (SMRTL).
• Administration and sanctioning will be handled by 'Combat Sports Anti-Doping' (CSAD).
• The prohibited substances list will "generally" remain the same as it was under USADA.
• "Decision Concentration Limits [thresholds]" will be implemented to "differentiate" between the intentional and non-intentional use of PEDs, such as exposure to low-level contaminants.
• "UFC athletes will have access to the new UFC Whereabouts Platform to record their expected locations so that they can easily be contacted for testing."

More details surrounding the UFC's new anti-coping program can be found on the official UFC anti-doping website.

Why Did UFC & USADA Part Ways?

USADA and the UFC announced plans to part ways back in October 2023. USADA CEO Travis Tygart indicated that the USADA's relationship with the UFC had become strained, suggesting that Conor McGregor's reintegration into the testing pool was cause for concern:

 "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," Tygard explained in a press statement.

"...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."

Dana White Slams USADA's 'Dirty Scumbag Move' in Fiery Response

UFC CEO Dana White called the statement "straight-up scumbagism," and the issue was further pressed by the UFC's Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell in a live news conference on October 11.

"I think it's a self-preservation tactic, I think it will ultimately fail. ...What they've done to [McGregor] is disgusting," Campbell exclaimed. "And for an entity that holds themselves out to have a level of honor and integrity, using him as a media vehicle to advance a fake narrative is disturbing, disgusting, and I think they have some legitimate liability that they should be concerned about."

USADA was quick to reply:

"All we have is our integrity, and everything else is secondary," Tygart continued. "Whether it's Lance Armstrong, whether it was [the] BALCO [scandal], we're going to do the right things for the right reasons. They're not always popular. And certainly, we've seen sports organizations over the years that don't like the stands that we take. And here we go again." (h/t ESPN)

Now resolved, the UFC will now continue its operations with a new anti-doping program. Fans and pundits will have to wait until the new year to see if anything changes at all.

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