ESPN reports that the UFC has made changes to its anti-doping policy wherein USADA will no longer announce fighters that have been put on provisional suspension until there is a resolution of the case.
According to the UFC, it will not announce a drug test failure until the case is resolved. The rule will prevent putting fighters in false light as drug cheats wherein some of the failed tests are a result of a contaminated supplement. Thus, some of the athletes did not intend to use a supplement for advantage but received a drug test failure due to something not labeled properly.
As a result of contaminated supplements, several athletes have filed lawsuits against supplement manufacturers and distributors due to serving UFC Anti-Doping Policy suspensions. In addition, USADA had to address the issue of compound pharmacies when several Brazilian athletes failed drug tests. These types of pharmacies make their own supplements instead of receiving them from the manufacturer.
One of the reasons for the change is the number of athletes that have failed tests due to unintentional use.
Payout Perspective:
The move is a step in the right direction for the UFC but it will be hard to explain the unexpected disappearance of a fighter from events and/or lack of activity. This will spur people to believe that there is a violation pending. But the move seeks to protect athletes from the media and others to jump to the conclusion that the athlete is a cheat. The amendment was made with little notoriety and apparently without input from the athletes which is a concern for those interested in the rights of the fighters.
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