Zuffa is making it a bit more difficult to become a UFC or Strikeforce fighter.
Officials today announced that all potential UFC and Strikeforce fighters, including those who compete on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, must first pass a mandatory pre-contract screening for performance-enhancing drugs.
The policy has been put into immediate effect.
Once signed, fighters will undergo the normal event-related drug testing performed by state athletic commissions (or outside agencies Zuffa hires when no regulatory body is available in a specific region, such as Brazil and the U.K.).
"We're committed to the health and safety of our athletes, and we take it very seriously," UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta stated "We already work closely with athletic commissions to protect our athletes, and now we're taking it one step further. We're going to test any potential UFC or Strikeforce fighter before finalizing their contract. This shows that we don't want performance-enhancing drugs in our sport."
The announcement was made the same day that the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that former Strikeforce champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal failed a Jan. 7 drug test due to an anabolic steroid.
Currently, nearly 350 fighters are under contract to Zuffa. In 2010, the organization announced customized accident insurance coverage for all competitors.
"The health and safety of our athletes is our top priority," UFC president Dana White stated. "We've seen the issues performance-enhancing drugs have caused in other sports, and we're going to do everything we can to keep them out of the UFC and Strikeforce. Our athletes are already held to the highest testing standards in all sports by athletic commissions. Our new testing policy for performance-enhancing drugs only further shows how important it is to us to have our athletes competing on a level playing field."
Source: All UFC/Strikeforce signees must undergo pre-contract drug screenings for PEDs
