Marc Raimondi, ESPN Personnel Essayist
LAS VEGAS — The UFC has threatened felony motion towards the U.S. Anti-Doping Company following a commentary USADA made Wednesday saying an finish to the partnership between the 2 organizations.
UFC well-known industry officer Hunter Campbell mentioned at a information convention Thursday that he despatched a felony letter to USADA on Wednesday night time accusing it of defamation and important that it factor a retraction and apology by way of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Campbell and UFC govt Jeff Novitzky additionally introduced Thursday that the UFC will significance Drug Isolated Game to store drug-test samples starting upcoming day and the UFC’s anti-doping program might be led by way of former FBI agent George Piro as an detached administrator.
In USADA’s let fall Wednesday, CEO Travis Tygart issued a commentary pronouncing that the company will stop being the UFC’s anti-doping spouse starting Jan. 1, 2024. Tygart wrote that the UFC did an “about-face” on their dating Monday and it used to be because of USADA’s stance in regards to the situation of Conor McGregor.
USADA has maintained that McGregor must spend six months within the drug-testing puddle earlier than having the ability to compete once more within the UFC. McGregor got rid of himself from the puddle upcoming breaking his leg in a July 2021 struggle.
The UFC’s anti-doping coverage says a fighter should spend six months within the puddle and cross two drug checks earlier than competing upcoming re-entering this system. The UFC, regardless that, can provide an exception to the six-month rule if the realization is it will be unfair to the athlete.
Tygart mentioned within the commentary that the connection between the UFC and USADA become “untenable” because of the status with McGregor, the UFC’s celebrity.
In an interview with TSN in July, UFC president Dana White mentioned “who cares what USADA says?” in connection with McGregor’s situation.
“Fighters’ long-term health and safety — in addition to a fair and level playing field — are more important to USADA than short-term profits at the expense of clean athletes,” Tygart wrote within the commentary.
Within the information convention Thursday on the UFC Apex, Novitzky known as Tygart’s commentary and USADA’s narrative “bulls—.” Campbell mentioned the commentary used to be a “complete misrepresentation” and “couldn’t be farther from the truth.” Campbell mentioned he maintained to Tygart for months that McGregor would spend six months within the drug-testing puddle earlier than competing once more and he didn’t assist if McGregor needed to whisk “37 tests” to end up he used to be blank earlier than stepping within the Octagon once more. Campbell mentioned what USADA did to McGregor used to be “disgusting” and there might be felony legal responsibility.
In a three-page letter despatched to USADA on Thursday from UFC’s out of doors recommend, there used to be a declare of defamation and that the UFC has the correct to say this type of declare “when the damaging comments negatively impact its reputation, integrity, and honesty, which is exactly what occurred here.”
“McGregor is 100% in the pool,” Campbell mentioned. “He’s conducted himself with integrity and honesty. He’s done everything right. As you can imagine, he’s very upset at what they’ve done with him. They’ve done tremendous damage.”
In a commentary to ESPN on Thursday following the scoop convention, Tygart wrote: “We stand by our statement and our credibility.”
Tygart informed ESPN on Wednesday that McGregor used to be re-entered into the drug-testing puddle Sunday and the decision with the UFC, which ended the partnership, came about Monday.
“Our insistence, and public insistence, that the six-month rule apply to all athletes, including Conor McGregor, be in place — that clearly upset them and that’s what led to the about-face that they did from May,” Tygart mentioned.
“They don’t like having someone else have influence, I guess, that the rules should apply to every athlete. No athlete is above the rules. Even if you’re a publicly traded company and you might stand to make $100 million at the end of the fiscal year, or something.”
Tygart mentioned there used to be “never a negotiation on the finances” of the oath renewal. USADA asked $7 million from the UFC for upcoming day, Tygart mentioned, which used to be no longer a lot more than the UFC were paying the company for every of the endmost 8 years.
USADA additionally does the drug-testing for Olympic athletes in america and lately signed a oath to run PFL’s anti-doping program.
“All we have is our integrity, and everything else is secondary,” Tygart mentioned. “Whether it’s Lance Armstrong, whether it was [the] BALCO [scandal], we’re gonna do the right things for the right reasons. They’re not always popular. And certainly, we’ve seen sports organizations over the years that don’t like the stands that we take. And here we go again.”
