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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The UFC will be implementing a comprehensive out of competition drug testing program beginning on July 1 for their entire roster, and they'll be advocating for harsher penalties from athletic commissions for fighters who test positive under the program.
In a press conference to address the recent spat of high profile failed drug tests, Lorenzo Fertitta laid out their plan to implement a program for all 585 fighters under contract.
No specific deal is in place as of yet, as they are in talks with third party organizations to implement a program beginning in July, but they say they are committing several million dollars to the problem.
They are trying to figure out the logistics and legalities of the program as well, and they do not have everything in place, but they set forth their commitment to address the issue. Additionally, Fertitta said they would support two to four year bans for first-time offenders under the WADA standard.
Penick's Analysis: There's a lot to take in on this, because again there's nothing concrete in place right now. Fighters need to be asking questions about the program, and there are serious concerns over the UFC over-stepping bounds when they try to hold their fighters as "independent contractors", as they're much closer to an "employee/employer" relationship given the uniform deal, health insurance for fighters in training, and now a comprehensive drug testing program. Still, in order to address the PED issue in the sport, this is something the UFC needed to move ahead with, and we'll have to see what they can put together here this year.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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