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Information broke yesterday surrounding USADA’s presence inside the UFC. Beginning in 2024, the anti-doping company will now not share a partnership with the MMA promotion following a breakdown in talks.
The US Anti-Doping Company has been partnered with the UFC since 2015 and has performed tens of 1000’s of assessments with the intention to maintain the game clear. Whereas their intentions had been pure, there was a division among the many combined martial arts fanbase relating to whether or not the anti-doping physique was useful to the fighters and the game as a complete.
USADA’s CEO Travis Tygart spoke out on why he believes the connection with the UFC soured and it appears to be attributable to Conor McGregor‘s potential return to the octagon.
“We will verify that Conor McGregor has re-entered the USADA testing pool as of Sunday, October 8, 2023,” Said Tygart. “Now we have been clear and agency with the UFC that there must be no exception given by the UFC for McGregor to struggle till he has returned two unfavorable assessments and been within the pool for at the least six months.”
“The principles additionally permit USADA to maintain somebody within the testing pool longer earlier than competing based mostly on their declarations upon entry within the pool and testing outcomes. Sadly, we don’t at present know whether or not the UFC will in the end honor the six-month or longer requirement as a result of, as of January 1, 2024, USADA will no longer be involved with the UFC Anti-Doping Program.”
Learn the total assertion from USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart right here: https://t.co/3vfuhx5haD pic.twitter.com/MNGgnDN6U6
— USADA (@usantidoping) October 11, 2023
Though issues appear to be resolved for Conor McGregor, the Irishman was upset with USADA and claimed they had been conserving him from his “livelihood” forward of his attainable return.
‘The Infamous’ has been out of the testing pool since his horrific leg break within the Dustin Poirier trilogy again in 2021. Whereas there is no such thing as a concrete proof, many do consider the previous two-division UFC champion placed on an unnatural quantity of muscle throughout his time on the sidelines; main followers to consider he was taking unlawful substances.
Related: Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor go back and forth over USADA comments
Tygart later continued, sharing his apologies to the various athletes who depend on their work to maintain the octagon clear from cheaters.
“Regardless of a optimistic and productive assembly a few contract renewal in Might 2023, the UFC did an about-face and knowledgeable USADA on Monday, October 9, that it was entering into a distinct course… We’re upset for the UFC athletes, who’re unbiased contractors, who depend on our unbiased, gold-standard international program to guard their rights to a clear, protected, and honest octagon. The UFC’s transfer imperils the immense progress made inside the sport below USADA’s management.”
“The connection between USADA and UFC turned untenable given the statements made by UFC leaders and others questioning USADA’s principled stance that McGregor not be allowed to fight without being in the testing pool for at the least six months.”
“One UFC commentator echoes this, not too long ago declaring that USADA mustn’t oversee the UFC program since we held agency to the six-month rule involving McGregor, and since we don’t permit fighters with out an permitted medical foundation to make use of performance-enhancing medicine like experimental, unapproved peptides or testosterone for therapeutic or accidents merely to get again to the octagon.”
Tygart was probably referring to Joe Rogan’s recent comments during which the massive MMA determine insisted the anti-doping company should not maintain fighters from useful medicine as said above.
It now appears like Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited UFC return someday subsequent yr and the eight-year partnership between the MMA firm and USADA will likely be no extra come January 1, 2024.
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