Too expensive for Power Slap!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White will soon celebrate his eight-year anniversary with United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), brought into the fold back in summer 2015 to help combat the rampant drug problem in mixed martial arts (MMA).
And White wasn’t kidding when he told the combat sports media there was “no business upside to the USADA policy.”
That’s because USADA costs UFC roughly $7 million per year, which is far too expensive for the newly-created Power Slap promotion, rolled out by White and his cronies last fall.
“We’re santioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, everybody gets drug tests,” White told Pat McAfee. “And actually, because guys popped for drugs on the last one, they pre-tested all these guys. I don’t have USADA money yet. Slap’s doing well, but we don’t have USADA money yet. I pay seven million a year for USADA for UFC.”
Power Slap was back in the news last month after half a dozen slappers tested positive in drug tests administered by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). To help prevent a similar fiasco, future slappers will be tested prior to the event.
Unlike USADA, which continues to test athletes around the clock both in and out of competition, using the oft-maligned whereabouts policy, NSAC only tests random fighters before and after each event at its own discretion.
Power Slap returned for its second event on Rumble last Wednesday.