Is There A Loophole In The UFC That Allows Certain Fighters To Avoid Drug Testing

Is there a loophole in the UFC that allows certain fighters to avoid drug testing?

According to MMA journalist, Iain Kidd, yes.

“There is a loophole in the UFC’s anti-doping policy that allows them to secretly exempt athletes from testing if they so choose,” according to Kidd.

Kidd says in his article that athletes returning from retirement have to undergo drug testing for six months.

However, the UFC can give waivers.

What’s worse, the UFC and USADA “can and do hide” information on whether an athlete “suspiciously” retires in order to skip the testing pool.

What can we draw from all of this?

Since the names of the athletes in the pool are a secret, and the UFC has the final decision on granting exemptions to retired athletes, there’s nothing stopping the UFC from letting a chosen athlete “retire” to avoid testing, lying to the press about them being retired, then allowing them to “un-retire” just before a fight to avoid months of testing. Their opponent, the media, and the public would have no way of knowing. That’s not to say this is happening, but the system, as it operates now, could allow it to happen.

Emphasis added.

Most of us, even diehard MMA fans, were not under the impression any of the UFC brass were saints. We’re familiar with Dana White. We’ve heard complaints from numerous MMA stars about some of the shadier aspects of the UFC.

But are some UFC fighters getting a pass on drug testing? And if so, why?

Unfortunately, the UFC has not responded to Kidd’s questions, so we MMA fans around the world can only speculate.

You can read Iain Kidd’s full article here.

You can also check out the short video about from MMA Mania here:

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