Upcoming UFC title challenger Johny Hendricks is going on the offensive after a report surfaced that he has yet to fill out his paperwork to commence Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) Drug Testing leading up to his title fight with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 167, via TVA Sports.
Hendricks’ manager, Ted Ehrhardt, told MMA Junkie that St-Pierre turned down the opportunity to have testing done by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) before voicing his opinion on the matter:
GSP’s had a black cloud over him for years (with) people thinking he’s on HGH (human growth hormone) or whatever they think he’s on, and I think he’s trying to clear his name, and we just happen to be the fight that he’s doing it … Probably if we had something to hide, it would bother us more. But we know we’re clean; we’re good. You test Johny, and the only thing he’s going to test positive for is high cholesterol because he eats fast food.
GSP is known for having one of the best physiques in MMA, while Hendricks is one of the largest welterweights in the sport, with nutritionist Mike Dolce stating that “Bigg Rigg” walks around as heavy as 215 pounds, via MMA Junkie.
Nevertheless, the two top 170-pounders have been drug tested multiple times by multiple commissions and have never failed a drug test.
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer also weighed in on the drug testing situation surrounding the Nov. 16 title tilt, backing up Ehrhardt‘s claim that GSP‘s camp balked at WADA testing:
They were asking, “Well, what do you test for?” My answer is always the same: We test for prohibited substances as listed on the WADA list. (They said), “Well, what does that mean? Does that mean HGH, does that mean this, does that mean that?” Yes, it means it all. The answer then should have been, “OK.” … OK, fine, use VADA. That’s not the question. The question is do you want to do outside testing through the athletic commission? And basically, they said we want to know all the tests you do so Georges’ medical advisors can vet the test first before we decide. I said I will take that as a no. We will let you know if we’re going to do any testing on our own. Goodbye.
Kizer added that both Hendricks and St-Pierre have been “great licensees in the past” and wasn’t interested in getting into a “pissing match” with either side regarding outside testing.
The executive director also noted that the NSAC will randomly test both athletes leading to their pay-per-view showdown, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
St-Pierre, who has been on top of the UFC’s welterweight division since 2008, has won 11 in a row and is looking to make it nine straight title defenses against Hendricks.
Meanwhile, the challenger has been victorious in six straight bouts, including knockouts of then-top contenders Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann.
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
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