The UFC Anti-Doping Program will now include oral fluid testing according to USADA.
The announcement was made last month but Jeff Novitzky made the announcement on Friday.
UFC program has started piloting a new collection method (oral fluid). Biggest upside…it potentially will only detect use of in-comp prohibited only substances (like marijuana/thc) within hours of use…not what athlete did a week or month ago. https://t.co/DHV6Ds6fiC
— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) January 4, 2020
According to USADA, there are several reasons for the use of oral fluid testing. They range from convenience to athletes to efficiency by the organization.
- A pain-free and non-invasive collection experience for athletes.
- Eliminates the need for gender-specific collection personnel.
- Samples can be easily and quickly collected in a wide range of environments.
According to the information page, this is a pilot program so this should not be used across the spectrum of athletes in the testing pool. However, if the results are what the UFC and USADA want, one would expect this to be implemented to all contracted fighters.
Notably, in the UFC-USADA FAQ about testing it appears as though contracted fighters cannot opt out of the pilot program: “Once an athlete has been notified that they have been selected for testing, the athlete is required to provide the requested sample, regardless of collection method. As such, the same refusal consequences that exist for urine, venipuncture, and dried blood spot collections will apply to oral fluid collections.”
Also of note is that these samples may be kept for 2-4 weeks and/or frozen. There is no explanation of the destruction of the samples or what happens with them in long term storage.
Payout Perspective:
While the testing methods proclaim to give a more accurate approximation and use of prohibited substances, its another reminder that the athletes have no say in this program once its implemented. Moreover, oral fluid testing allows for the collection of DNA which might be something to consider down the road. Again, I’m sure this testing method is a measure to ensure the goal of keeping a clean sport, but we still need to look at the ramifications of the testing.