US Anti-Doping Agency and UFC set to end partnership after Conor McGregor dispute
By George Ramsay, CNN
(CNN) — The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is set to split with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) following a dispute involving Conor McGregor.
McGregor suffered a broken leg in his last fight – a defeat against long-time rival Dustin Poirior in July 2021 – and is now looking to make a return to the octagon.
On Wednesday, USADA said that the 35-year-old re-entered the testing pool earlier this month but may not be able to fulfil the minimum six-month requirement in the pool as the UFC is terminating its partnership with USADA at the end of the year.
“Despite a positive and productive meeting about a contract renewal in May 2023, the UFC did an about-face and informed USADA on Monday, October 9, that it was going in a different direction,” USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement.
“We are disappointed for UFC athletes, who are independent contractors who rely on our independent, gold-standard global program to protect their rights to a clean, safe, and fair Octagon. The UFC’s move imperils the immense progress made within the sport under USADA’s leadership.
“The relationship between USADA and UFC became 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 least six months.”
CNN has contacted the UFC and McGregor’s representatives for comment.
Last week, McGregor said on X, formerly Twitter, that he has been re-entered to the testing pool, while UFC president Dana White said that the relevant paperwork had been submitted to USADA.
According to USADA, the Irishman would have to be in the pool for at least six months and return two negative tests in order to fight.
The UFC has been partnered with USADA since 2015, and in that time the anti-doping body has conducted more than 27,000 tests.
Speaking about the relationship between USADA and the UFC, Tygart said that one UFC commentator had recently declared “that USADA should not oversee the UFC program since we held firm to the six-month rule involving McGregor, and since we do not allow fighters without an approved medical basis to use performance-enhancing drugs like experimental, unapproved peptides or testosterone for healing or injuries simply to get back in the Octagon.”
McGregor owns a 22-6 record in the UFC, his last win coming against Donald Cerrone in January 2020. He has been defeated by Poirier twice since then.
As he targets a return to the octagon next year, McGregor has been linked with a fight against American Michael Chandler.
“Unequivocally, the fight is still happening,” Chandler told ‘The MMA Hour’ last week.
“The fight is not booked for a date, the fight is not booked for a venue, but the fight is booked between Chandler and Conor. There’s no way that Conor comes back and doesn’t fight me.”
The-CNN-Wire
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