United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which handled UFC drug testing from summer 2015 all the way through the end of 2024, made headlines back in August for what World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) called a “scheme” to allow doping athletes “to compete for years without ever publishing or sanctioning their anti-doping rule violations.”
Those are pretty serious charges (and not the first time we’ve heard them).
Not surprisingly, USADA fired back with allegations of its own, insisting the “desperate and dangerous attempts to smear others” was nothing more than a smokescreen to “cover-up 23 positive tests” at the Paris Olympics, accusing “WADA’s current leadership” of protecting its own reputation ahead of “actually doing the work to protect clean sport.”
Neither press release named specific sports or athletes.
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan had another sit down with fitness podcaster Derek Munro of More Plates More Dates, perhaps best known for taking down “Liver King.” Their conversation eventually drifted toward the USADA scandal, which resonated with Rogan because of the organization’s previous ties to UFC.
“They were basically exposing how USADA was covering up the test results for Olympic-level and elite athletes,” Munro said. “They got to go until retirement without getting exposed just because they helped USADA, supposedly, catch other people.”
“Oh, they were narcs?” Rogan replied.
“So if you helped them catch people, then you could get away with using full-bored testosterone, EPO,” Munro added. “This is like one of many reasons why [UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] and others are very critical of USADA and glad they’re not under it anymore.”
“So they’re like a drug dealer that works for the government,” Rogan stated.
UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, was accused of snitching on teammates in order to reduce a previous drug-testing suspension. In addition; his primary accuser, longtime rival and former two-division champion, Daniel Cormier, revealed the offer was not exclusive to Jones — but claimed “Bones” was the only “scumbag” unscrupulous enough to accept it.
“You think you’re the only one that’s been offered this deal? No, you’re just the only scumbag low enough to take it!” Cormier wrote back in late 2018. “Which one of your teammates did you tell on to get this joke of a punishment from USADA! I thought there was nothing lower than a cheater but it’s not surprising that you show me a whole new level. You’re a cheater and a SNITCH! Get off my page and go do some coke, or steroids or whatever you losers do in your spare time.”
As you might expect, Jones maintains his innocence despite repeated failures.
USADA was also accused of “scumbagism” in the way it handled the promotion’s drug testing protocols for ex-champion Conor McGregor. The kerfuffle with “Notorious” eventually led to the dissolution of the expensive partnership between UFC and USADA, leading to a new deal with Drug Free Sport International (DFSI).
Out of the frying pan and into the fire American Top Team.