In its latest issue, Lorenzo Fertitta spoke with the Sports Business Journal (subscription required) on the UFC taking a tougher stance on drugs. Fertitta shed some light on the need for a new policy after the spate of failed drug tests.
While there was nothing in the article that added on to what the UFC has already said about its new policy on drug testing, Fertitta talked about being more proactive about the issue in asking what the UFC could do rather than what the commissions could do.
In the SBJ article Fertitta is quoted as saying: “We needed to stop having academic debates on the legalities of our contracts and just go do this.” He added, “You get hung up in a conference room with a slew of lawyers. We could debate this for years to come and never get anywhere. We’ve always run this business for the long term, so we’re going to do this.”
The UFC will pay for additional tests for its fighters and will advocate for a 2 year suspension for any fighter who tests positive for a banned substance. He indicated that the UFC will “advocate rather than act” at this point due to the current employment contracts of its independent contractors.
However, Fertitta intimated that future contracts would reflect the stiffer penalties for drug violations. These contracts would also include an appeal and arbitration process for suspended fighters.
The UFC will implement its new drug policy on July 1, 2015.
Payout Perspective:
Fertitta takes a shot at lawyers although in the article he indicates that there are complex legal issues to implement its new policy when it comes to an appeal and arbitration process. Thus, he needs them. We saw the issues the UFC had when it came to the appeal process with Cung Le and the new appeal/arbitration policy will be interesting if the suspensions are longer than what commissions require. Obviously, the new contracts will pose a question for fighters. Sure, the drug policy is a good thing to adhere to fairness, but how much of an independent contractor’s rights are being given up?
Is the UFC currently drug testing fighters ahead of their fights?
Irish fighter Aisling Daly recently said that her and Claudia Gadelha were scheduled to be tested but before that could happen Claudia withdrew from the fight due to injury.
“We were both due to be tested and she was gone,” Daly said. “Think from that what you will.” Daly.
Who was going to test them? Is the Polish athletic commission doing random pre-fight drug testing in Brazil and Ireland?
Is it possible the UFC is pre-testing fighters and if fighters fail they withdraw due to injury?
@Dave
At this point if there is an athletic commission governing in Poland it would be that authority. However, as we have seen in Macau this past August, the UFC would deal with the testing if there is no commission that does it.
As for the kind of testing it would do…it depends on the commission. The UFC has pushed for “out of competition” testing (i.e., testing prior to the day of the fight), but I’m not sure what a Polish commission would do.