UFC and United States Anti-Doping Agency recently announced important changes to the promotion’s anti-doping policy.
The two major revisions are the adoption of a “UFC prohibited list,” which sets limits on what establishes a positive drug test for several banned substances, as well as a list of “certified supplements” that offer protection to athletes when they are found to be contaminated.
Since the UFC partnered with USADA for its year-round drug testing program in 2015, many cases involving failed drug tests have been linked to contaminated legal supplements. One of the highest-profile cases occurred last month, involving UFC star Nate Diaz. Diaz’s drug test showed a small amount of a banned selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), which entered his system through a contaminated organic, vegan multivitamin.
Diaz was cleared of any wrongdoing and still fought Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 on Nov. 2.
UFC’s new prohibited list still follows most of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, but it establishes limits for certain substances like SARMs and diuretics. UFC and USADA relied on evidence from a number of anti-doping experts to establish these levels. The promotion also identified five independent supplement certifiers.
If an athlete fails a test because of a contaminated supplement that’s been certified by one of those agencies, he would not receive any sanction.
The new policy will go into effect immediately and will apply to any currently pending cases.
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The Scrap’s Caroline Romero is a journalism graduate and has 3 children involved in combat sport. Make sure to follow her son Simon Romero on his Behind The Grind podcast on YouTube.
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