I would have thought that Conor McGregor would have made it back into the Octagon in 2023 but that did not happen. This may have been due in part to USADA’s role as enforcer of the UFC Anti-doping policy.
In awkward social media post which in hindsight was a way to get ahead of the story, USADA head Travis Tygart sent out the following:
Read the full statement from USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart here: https://t.co/3vfuhx5haD pic.twitter.com/MNGgnDN6U6
— USADA (@usantidoping) October 11, 2023
The statement includes a direct statement regarding the issues surrounding the former two division champion.
The relationship between USADA and UFC became untenable given the statements made by UFC leaders and others questioning USADA’s principled stance that McGregor not be allowed to fight without being in the testing pool for at least six months. One UFC commentator echoed this, recently declaring that USADA should not oversee the UFC program since we held firm to the six-month rule involving McGregor, and since we do not allow fighters without an approved medical basis to use performance-enhancing drugs like experimental, unapproved peptides or testosterone for healing or injuries simply to get back in the Octagon.
In response, the UFC put together a press conference to rebut the statements and offer its own arrows at USADA. This included threatening a lawsuit. As of December, that has not happened and probably just saber-rattling.
From our post in October:
Will the UFC sue USADA or vice versa? It would seem that the partnership deteriorated over time and the handling of Conor McGregor’s return was the last straw in the strained relationship. USADA’s statements this week were surprising and highlighted the issue to which the organization had had it. One would assume when partnerships end, that nothing is said about the reasons for the termination of it. But, it was clear that USADA wanted to point out why it was ending the relationship. Based on Tygart’s statements, he wanted to make a point as to who was at fault for the severance of ties. On the other hand, the UFC called the press conference to rebut Tygart’s statement and also announce its new partnership in 2024. This would dispel any rumors that the UFC would not have drug testing or they would self-regulate. Novitsky stated, “they[USADA] confused the sh-t out of our fighter,” in relation to Tygart’s comments earlier this week.
Campbell talked about defamation of the company. If a lawsuit were to come to pass, it could mean that we see what the parties were talking about and the inner workings of USADA.
On the other hand, USADA may file a defamation of action. A lot was said by Campbell and Novitsky during the press conference. Notably, Campbell stated that Tygart was in “self-preservation” mode and inferred that the UFC was one (if not) the biggest revenue driver for the organization. USADA could also claim that the press conference may act as a deterrent for future business for the organization due to characterization that Tygart went crazy in the phone call with himself and Novitsky.
The new independent administrator is George Piro. Novitsky called him a man with the “highest level of integrity and credibility that you can imagine.” Piro was an FBI agent and was tasked with interrogating Saddam Hussein. He also is a BJJ practitioner in his mid-50s.
The dispute between the organizations boiled over with the reintroduction of Conor McGregor to the antidoping drug testing pool. While the UFC negated the “narrative” put out by USADA that McGregor may not be in the drug testing pool for a full 6 months prior to a fight, it was clear that USADA had reservations on what the plan would be for McGregor’s return. There are a lot of inferences (whether right or not) here that either McGregor may have taken banned substances while out of the testing pool or that USADA was concerned that having McGregor come back too early may not provide safeguards guaranteed by the program. One might also infer that McGregor’s return included customizations to benefit the athlete. Or, that he was taking supplements not known or readily handled by USADA.
The new enforcement will be lead by George Piro in conjunction with Drug Free Sport. Piro has an impressive resume and we will see how he does with working with the UFC. As for McGregor’s return, it is still up in the air going into 2024.
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