mma / News

UFC Anti-Doping Chief Says Commissions Need to Get Drug Testing Right

July 24, 2017 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

UFC anti-doping czar Jeff Novitzky spoke during a presentation at the 2017 Association of Boxing Commissions annual meeting (via MMAjunkie) about the importance of drug testing and more. The highlights are below:

On the importance of commissions improving their anti-doping practices: “It’s so important in anti-doping that you get it right…If you’re going to do your own testing, please, please, please run it by experts or rely on experts in your results management process.”

On the UFC being willing to aid commissions: “We are happy to provide you with experts, whether (from) USADA, or WADA lab directors, or scientists who’ve made a career out of anti-doping all throughout the world. I’m happy to provide that contact to you to get it right. A false accusation in anti-doping is one of the worst things that can happen. It taints the entire movement. Many athletes aren’t sophisticated enough to know the difference between a commission doing this and USADA, and what I always say is the comprehensiveness and strength of anti-doping – just as important is the fairness and due process. If you don’t have fairness and due process for an athlete, and an athlete’s falsely accused, an athlete loses confidence in the process. Once that confidence is lost, they look around and try to get around … to use drugs and cheat.”

article topics :

Jeff Novitzky, UFC, Jeremy Thomas