The UFC doesnt play around when it comes to drug testing. Regardless of whether a fighter is a champion, an up-and-coming fighter, or just a beginner, the same rules apply to everyone.
All UFC fighters get tested for Performance-Enhancing Drugs(PEDs) in and off competition. The UFC has actually been cooperating with USADA, the biggest anti-doping agency, since 2015. They handle everything from testing, analyzing the results, and applying consequences to the fighters who violate the rules. If a fighter tests positive for PEDs, USADA will give the fighter long suspensions. And depending on the type of violation, how long the fighter stays out of the sport can vary.
Narcotics, estrogen blockers, growth hormones and anabolic steroids are some of the banned substances in the UFC.
As soon as a fighter signs with the UFC, the USADA testing protocol starts. UFC fighters get randomly tested for PEDs several times a year on average. USADA performs five tests per fighter annually, which is a minimum of 2,750 tests a year, keeping in mind that some fighters get tested more often than others.
Jointly, the UFC and USADA spend a lot of resources to keep the sport and their fighters clean. When USADA agents travel around the world to test fighters on any day, in any place, fighters have to comply, take a break from whatever it is that theyre doing at that moment, and provide urine or blood samples to USADA officials. The UFC has the right to ask their fighters for extra tests performed by the state athletic commission as well.
If a UFC fighter refuses a test or flees the scene, they receive a long suspension. However, if USADA notifies a fighter that they have been selected for testing, fighters do have the right to delay it under a valid reason.
Many UFC fighters still use steroids to enhance their fighting performance, even though it is illegal in the sport. It is not easy to determine if a fighter is using them, but when caught, they might not receive penalties. UFC fighters, like other professional athletes in various sports, survive based on their athletic performance. For that reason, some are interested in taking steroids that help lessen their body fat, build up strength, and get larger muscles.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy is a steroid that helps with building strength and muscle, but is not the same thing as steroid abuse; TRT is legal.
Fighters who use TRT have to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) through whatever state athletic commission they are fighting under. The UFC does additional testing throughout the fighters training camp to make sure their testosterone levels dont spike above the legal limits.
Read more:
Do UFC fighters have to take drug tests? Can they take testosterone or steroids? - AS USA
