UFC & USADA: How did it last so long?

The USADA era has officially come to an end. What the replacement will look like is still unclear.

Illustration by BE Art Director Chris Rini

This last week saw a shockwave sent through the MMA ecosystem. After nearly 8-years of cooperation, the UFC and USADA announced the upcoming end of their business partnership. From there, things got pretty nasty.

For those that don't know, the whole circus kicked off when the drug testing agency sent out a press release essentially stating that, while Conor McGregor had re-entered the testing pool, the months long saga of his potential return had worn away the working relationship between the two companies. USADA especially cited comments made by UFC commentator Joe Rogan, which they felt reflected the general attitude of UFC brass.

"I really think [the UFC] should do all that in-house," Rogan said on a recent podcast, speaking of the UFC's drug testing program. "’Cause USADA does stuff like—well they don’t do it anymore—but they were doing stuff like waking guys up at 6:30 in the morning like the day of the weigh-ins and testing them. It was ****ing insane, for world title fights, ****ing insane.”

Shortly after USADA's press release, it was revealed—both by company CEO Travis Tygart, and later by UFC officials—that the UFC had in fact decided to sever the relationship themselves in a recent conference call, citing a desire to (as Rogan suggested) run a program more selectively attuned to their needs. In the days since, there's been some name calling, some finger pointing, and just a general feeling of a long-strained relationship suddenly snapping in a very public way.

The only real question is: How did it last so long?

The UFC has proven itself to be, more than anything else, a very reactionary company over the years. When COVID-19 hit they scampered away from regulation for as long as possible, until forced by law (and Disney executives) to stop hosting events. From there they publicly touted the tightest protocols in the business, but dropped them all the moment restrictions relaxed. As long as there was a legal need, they made it happen, once the oversight was gone, so was the action.

More recently, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the promotion made the kneejerk call to ban flags from fighter walkouts. Right up until last week, when Dana White made a big show of bringing flags back at the expense of all those (imaginary) crybabies who couldn't handle them in the first place. I'd love to know what drove either decision, because it wasn't public outcry.

Going back in time, fans can remember the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) era, when fighters were battling for the right to essentially legalize doping through doctor's notes. With the UFC looking to polish up its image for a future sale, and the NSAC eventually putting it's foot down on therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs), the promotion needed to make a big statement. So they brought in hardline drug testing for all athletes; they brought in USADA.

The thing with USADA, unlike the UFC's other moves over the years, is that they very much acted as a business partner with the UFC and not just a subordinate brand that was happy to be there—or a series of regulations the UFC could handle all on their own. This wasn't the Reebok deal…