A former UFC star believes it is very likely the company is letting big-name fighters freely use performance enhancers or drugs and hiding positive tests for their financial benefit.
Last week, UFC legend Conor McGregor found himself involved in another bad headline when it was revealed he had received an 18-month suspension from the company’s anti-doping program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping. The news seemingly ended any chance of the former two-division champion competing at 2026’s White House event.
Well, not so fast. His nearly two-year suspension will be retroactive to September 2024. Meaning he can get back into the testing pool in March and be ready for a potential fight on the White House lawn in June. It was another moment that made fight fans roll their eyes at the idea of the UFC controlling their own drug testing and whether they are being completely transparent with results.
UFC veteran Matt Brown thinks they aren’t and are likely letting certain fighters get away with cheating.
“The UFC also controls the doping. Who’s to say they’re not letting certain people dope and not even saying anything?” Brown said on his MMAFighting podcast this week. “They could absolutely be doing it. Do I think they’re doing that? It doesn’t matter. It’s irrelevant whether they are or not.
“If they have the power to do it, that’s what matters. I don’t know what it’s going to take for fighters to ever step up and be like, “Yo, this is some bulls***.”
Does the UFC control fighter drug testing?
To more casual fight fans, it may be news to them that the UFC does its own drug testing. In boxing, state athletic commissions conduct drug testing. And for a time, the MMA world leader did the same before they let USADA handle all their testing from 2015 to 2023.
However, after the company and testing agency ran into problems over, oddly enough, proper testing for McGregor, the UFC decided to do its own testing. That certainly raised alarm bells for many fans, considering the company’s questionable handling of certain positive tests.
The most infamous moment was when they allowed Brock Lesnar to fight at UFC 200 despite having evidence of a failed test before the event. It led to a massive lawsuit from its opponent that night, Mark Hunt, which was dismissed last year.
Matt Brown lays out a horrifying UFC doping scenario
Dana White and the UFC are very excited about the historic possibilities of their card next year on the lawn of the White House. They feel it can be a transformative moment for the brand and are investing a lot in its success. That could include bringing Conor McGregor and Jon Jones back for fights. Both men have questionable doping histories.
That fact is why Brown laid out an alarming but realistic scenario that could happen next year with the UFC doing its own drug testing.
“Are you going to tell me if UFC is controlling the doping, and they’re doing a White House card next year, and Conor fails a test the week before, are they not going to be like, ‘Alright, Conor. We can’t really say anything right now.’ What are they going to do?” he said.
“They are going to pull Conor from the White House event? Or Jon Jones is the main event with Alex Pereira, and those guys both piss hot the week before. Are they just going to stop the main event for the White House card? You gotta think that’s why they got rid of USADA.”
