Cheaters beware, the UFC is gearing up for the most extensive drug-testing policy in professional sports, but, are there still major loopholes for fighters take advantage of?

According to combatsportslaw.com, there are at lest three major ways fighters could potentially still get away with using PEDs.

Here’s a summary of there findings:

Retirement: A fighter could announce he’s retiring, which means he would not be tested, then come back.

Section 5.7.1 of the policy goes on to state that “An Athlete who gives notice of retirement to UFC, or has otherwise ceased to have a contractual relationship with UFC, may not resume competing in UFC bouts until he/she has given UFC written notice of his.her intent to resume competing and has made him/herself available for Testing for a period of four months before returning to competition. UFC may grant an exemption to the four-month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an Athlete“.

Whereabouts: Fighters are allowed up to two whereabout violations a year before penalty. Basically, you can doge two tests a year without getting in trouble, unless it’s obvious you did so.

Specifically s. 2.4 provides that it is an anti-doping violation where “any combination of three Whereabouts Failures within a twelve-month period as defined in the Whereabouts Policy developed by the UFC“.

Whereabouts Failures are defined as follows “The failure by any Athlete to comply with the UFC Whereabouts Policy by failing to timely, accurately and completely provide required whereabouts information and/or for being unavailable for Testing due to inaccurate information provided on the Whereabouts Filing“.

I Didn’t Know: The ‘I didn’t know what I was taking’ excuse could still be in play.

Specifically section 10.5.1.1 of the policy states that “In cases where the Athlete or other Person can establish that the detected Prohibited Substance came from a Contaminated Product, then the period of Ineligibility shall be, at a minimum, a reprimand and no period of Ineligibility…”

So, think we’ll see these come into play?

 

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