UFC to Step in With more Out-of-Competition Random Testing

Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White, and Zuffa attorney Lawrence Epstein sat down for a press conference this Wednesday announcing new guidelines for PED testing after the wake of numerous positive tests.  The UFC announced that there was a problem in the sport and that testing needed to be more stringent in order to clean it up.  They also announced that a third party company would step in to conduct random out of competition testing in addition to the efforts already put forth by the various state athletic commissions as well as the commissions around the world, but declined to say who the third party would be.

The UFC also added that there would be much more stringent penalties to those who have positive tests for PEDs, which could range from 2-4 years suspension depending whether a fighter had tested positive in the past.  Lorenzo Fertita, the CEO and owner of Zuffa the parent company of the UFC said that "the current punishment on fighters is not enough to deter the use of PEDs."

UFC President, Dana White also stated that a fighter who weighs his or her options, evaluating the rewards gained from fighting over the risk of being caught are quite unbalanced with some fighters choosing the latter.He echoed that the new penalties would make fighters think twice as a prolongued suspension could be career ending. As a warning to fighters White stated, "If you are doing performance enhancing drugs, you will be caught."

When asked about the implications of main events being canceled, the UFC brass stated that they would take the risk in order to clean up the sport, stating that UFC match makers Sean Shelby and Joe Silva would have to get "more creative" (a job that has been essential after the strain of injuries that have decimated fight cards in the past).

Of course, the other issue is with commissions outside of the United States and how this effort could be implemented on a global scale as well as the costs associated with such an endeavor.  I would say that it is definitely ambitious and it will take some time to implement the program uniformly.  But this is not the first time the sport has met with adversity.  It is also not an issue of cheating either.  It is an issue of safety for all the athletes who compete within the UFC and all the other mixed martial arts promotions throughout the world.