SUMMARY
- UFC boss Dana White created his own anti-doping system after ditching USADA.
- Conor McGregor was framed as the main reason behind the broken relationship between UFC and USADA.
Ultimate Fighting Championship has inarguably produced some incredibly epic clashes in the octagon over the last few decades. However, thanks to Dana White, the fights have made their way out of the arena as well, offering the entire UFC community much-needed entertainment around the clock. Earlier in 2023, White was involved in what was one of the most infamous clashes with a massive American agency.
USADA, also called the United States Anti-Doping Agency journeyed with UFC for eight years, and the relationship between the two parties, was mostly decent. But, during the latter stages of 2023, Conor McGregor inadvertently induced a war between the UFC boss and USADA, which eventually turned ugly enough for the two parties to end their near-decade-long run.
Months after binning USADA, White came up with a brilliant solution by welcoming UFC’s own anti-doping agency, which will be called the UFC – Anti-Doping Policy. The new anti-doping program came into effect on the last day of the year 2023, bringing about a refreshing start to the new year for UFC.
Unshockingly, Hunter Campbell, UFC’s Chief Business Officer, wasn’t short of appreciation for White’s new creation. He said, “UFC’s goal for the Anti-Doping Policy is to be the best, most effective, and most progressive anti-doping program in all of professional sports.” Read more about the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.
How Conor McGregor silently kindled war between Dana White & USADA
McGregor was inadvertently a pawn in White’s ruthless war against USADA. The multi-millionaire had been on the sidelines for a long time now after getting his leg broken by Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 in 2021. What’s interesting is McGregor decided to take himself out of the pool after the brutal blow to his leg, leaving himself vulnerable to USADA’s rule.
USADA’s policy suggests that a fighter must spend six months in the pool while also undergoing drug tests twice before getting themselves back in action. And this triggered White, as the situation escalated to unimaginable levels. It was indeed this statement that may have started a chain of incidents; “Who cares what USADA says?” White said in response to TSN’s question about McGregor.
It’s been three years, and McGregor is still awaiting what would be the biggest comeback of his entire MMA career.
White fired shots at USADA with cheeky Britney Spears statement
White isn’t someone you would want to mess with, and USADA learned it the hard way. The 54-year-old decided to take on Travis Tygart in a savage verbal war and even went on to accuse Tygart of acting like Britney Spears. “Listen, this guy [Travis Tygart] went full Britney Spears, and lost his mind,” he said according to Si.com.
“Get ready, you’re probably gonna see this guy on Instagram dancing with knives, probably in the next two weeks or something. He went nuts. He lost his mind, and you know, it is what it is.” Overall, McGregor is due to take on Michael Chandler in June this year after recovering from the rather heavy injury. But, the question is, can he win his comeback bout and prove White’s efforts worthy?
