UFC introduces new drug-testing policy, effective July 1

Looking to change the pervasive conversation about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in mixed martial arts, the UFC announced a new drug-testing policy on Wednesday, one that could significantly change the doping landscape in the sport.

President Dana White, CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and COO Lawrence Epstein revealed the new policy, which will take effect July 1, at a press conference in Las Vegas.

The changes have been a long time coming, but the timing of the press conference is hardly surprising given the number of PED-related stories in the MMA news cycle of late. The most notable is living legend Anderson Silva failing multiple drug tests, which led a number of fight figures, including Frankie Edgar, Royce Gracie and Frank Mir, to give their two cents.

A dialogue about the issue is a positive, but stakeholders in the sport have every incentive to turn the discussion into one based on action rather than reaction.

That's what Wednesday's conference set out to do, and the UFC came out guns blazing. 

The new policy will see all UFC fighters become subject to random performance-enhancing drug testing, even out of competition, with the UFC pushing for longer suspensions and more strict penalties from state athletic commissions. 

In the lead-up to July 1, the UFC will be working with multiple drug-testing organizations to ensure its testing protocol is effective, though it's yet to decide on which third-party entity will administer the testing once the policy is in place.

UFC will not hand down penalties except for when it self-regulates events, instead leaving that to individual commissions. As a result, it's pushing for commissions to move closer to the penalties handed out by the USADA or WADA, which sometimes gives suspensions as long as four years for a first offense.

The current system is flawed in that the incentives for a fighter can lean in favor of doping, given the sizable purses available and minimal downside risk. White and Fertitta both expressed hope that longer penalties, which eat into a fighter's earning prime, will stand as strong deterrents.

This could also pave the way for an eventual return for Georges St-Pierre, who is on an indefinite leave but has said he would not return to the sport until the drug-testing protocol was made more strict.

- With h/t to MMA Junkie