In the later part of 2015, the UFC announced a few changes coming to the organization. First, the UFC introduced the Reebok deal to the world. Secondly, the UFC partnered with USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency).
Since then, both have received massive criticism from not only the media but the public, especially USADA. Many fighters have fallen flat to USADA’s strict testing policies, including many top athletes of the sport. Some of the athletes that have been popped are Chad Mendes, Tim Means, Jon Jones, etc…
Many fighters since then have come out and voiced their opinion. One voice that is echoing all throughout the media is UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt. Hunt last fought at UFC 200 against superstar Brock Lesnar, who is the most recent victim of USADA. Hunt went on an absolute rampage, demanding the UFC give him the full purse Brock Lesnar received, which was just about $2.5 million. Of course, this is highly unlikely, which in the case he doesn’t he asked the company to release him from his contract.
With top athletes in the sports getting popped, where might this lead for the future of MMA?
1. Lower suspensions
One outcome that may result is less time being banned from the sport. Many agree that 2 years can be devastating to a fighter’s career, even if they cheated. Right now, it’s usually 6 months or 2 years for a banned substance, anything else has not really been brought to light.
2. Global usage
Currently, the UFC is the only major martial arts company that enforces USADA. However, with a number of athletes testing positive since then, you may quickly see USADA being implemented by other large organizations such as Bellator, WSOF, etc…
3. Substances no longer being sponsors in the UFC
Now this one is a bit far out. However, many fighters are quick to blame “tainted” supplements for their positive testing. Some of these accusations have actually turned out to be true and may draw athletes away from using many supplements. One fighter who doesn’t use any is current UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson. Johnson has expressed his concerns revolving around supplement use and tends to stray away from them, just to be safe.
Do you agree with USADA? What do you think will happen? Let us know!