There were a lot of policy change propositions made in Las Vegas yesterday. If all of the new polices come true, this will forever be known as the greatest step forward to clean up the sport of MMA in UFC history.
At a special press conference to discuss the recent Performance Enhancing Drug test failures in the UFC, Dana White and promotion officials outlined a drastic new drug testing program. The program will be implemented on July 1st and will see all five-hundred-plus fighters on the roster subjected to random, year-round, out-of-competition drug testing. And mandatory, out-of-competition drug testing for main event and championship fighters.
The penalty for a violation of the policy is severe. The UFC vowed to advocate the following: anywhere from a two to a four-year suspension for first-time offenders. Does anyone remember the days of Eric Dickerson and SMU? This would be the same as an NCAA death sentence in college football. In MMA, a sport where the windows for success in competition are already fleeting, most think that this penalty will make doping not worth the risk.
Check out Some Fighters’ Reaction to the News:
Very happy to learn about the UFC announcing a new comprehensive random PED testing.
— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) February 18, 2015
Hey kids #DontDoDrugs…even @ufc is saying so finally…I’ll be the 1st one in line… #TheOnceAndFutureKing
— Benson Henderson (@BensonHenderson) February 18, 2015
Love the stance UFC is taking on PED’s now. Gonna be great for the sport. Excited to know I’ll be fighting normal human beings. #dontcheat — Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) February 18, 2015
Excited about the potential change in the UFC but talk is cheap. Opening with suspensions of recent PED athletes would convey their resolve. — Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) February 18, 2015
No worries when u fight clean RT @leocompass: @MMAFighting @roynelsonmma the only guy not sweating right now 🙂 pic.twitter.com/ubuVZeeYoP — Roy Nelson (@roynelsonmma) February 18, 2015
I have a feeling we’ll see a lot of cheat..I mean fighters drop weight classes after July 1st. #PEDPresser
— James Krause (@TheJamesKrause) February 18, 2015