The news that the UFC and USADA are parting ways is common knowledge by now. The two organisations splitting up could shake up the MMA landscape thoroughly. The UFC will now use their own anti-doping programme and many people have given their thoughts on the separation, such as Joe Rogan as he spoke about the situation on his podcast.
UFC And USADA Split
USADA is the anti-doping agency that runs many programs for different types of sports in America. Anti-doping programs exist so athletes know that they are competing fairly and there are no substances in their opponents to help with performance. USADA and UFC have been working together since 2015 and have had a robust relationship over time. However, it came out a little while ago that the two would be parting ways. Rogan spoke about this on an episode of the JRE MMA Show.
“They said they were doing it for Conor McGregor, so they could get Conor McGregor and not have to test him,” Rogan said. “That’s what they insinuated, which is false because Conor McGregor entered the USADA pool and supplied two tests so far. So, they’re wrong.”
Will It Help Fighters
It has been well-documented that USADA has tested fighters at some crazy times. For example, there have been stories about them waking up athletes early in the morning before the fight. Rogan spoke about how the split could benefit fighters.
“The problem was they were waking guys up at 6:30 on their f****** weigh-in day,” Rogan said. “They were doing crazy s*** like that trying to get samples the day of the fight.”
Quotes via MMA Knockout
It will be interesting to see what happens now that they have split and its impact on the sport. As UFC are now a big player in the sporting world it will be interesting to see if others follow suit.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
