(Reuters) – UFC athletes will no longer be overseen by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the sides will end their eight year partnership amid a dispute over the drug testing of former UFC champion Conor McGregor.
McGregor is looking to return to the octagon for the first time since he suffered a gruesome leg injury in July 2021 but USADA rules require him to be in the testing pool for six months and return two negative tests before he can compete.
“The relationship between USADA and UFC became untenable given the statements made by UFC leaders and others questioning USADA’s principled stance that McGregor not be allowed to fight without being in the testing pool for at least six months,” USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a release.
The UFC and McGregor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The USADA said meetings over a contract renewal broke down on Monday when, after a productive meeting in May, the UFC did an “about-face” and informed the agency it was going in a different direction.
“We are disappointed for UFC athletes, who are independent contractors who rely on our independent, gold-standard global program to protect their rights to a clean, safe, and fair octagon,” Tygart said.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Grant McCool)
