Paige VanZant is the latest fighter to come forward with their horror USADA story.
The break-up between the UFC and drug testing agency, USADA, was one of the biggest stories of the year. The news was met with mixed reviews, some fairly pointed out that it could open the door for more fighters using performance enhancing drugs, but several fighters have and continue to reveal their poor run-ins with USADA.
The deal will officially end come January 1st 2024 so the 6 am wakeups that fighters have complained about should cease, for now.
Paige VanZant reveals frustrating USADA incident
Talking on her podcast alongside partner Austin Vanderford, VanZant counted a run-in with USADA during a difficult weight cut. The former UFC fighter claimed that whenever she would cut weight, she would become very ill.
“I was about to fight Alex Chambers in Las Vegas, Nevada,” Paige VanZant began. “And this was right when USADA got implemented in the UFC. So my drug testers show up right after weigh-ins. So I’m in my hotel room re-hydrating. Every single time I would weigh in, I would try to rehydrate, instantly sick.”
VanZant would continue, saying that while dealing with the weight-cutting-induced illness, the USADA drug tester stood by her side for two hours.
“So, part of USADA is once they see you, you cannot leave their sight, because, you know, it’s the whole anti-doping,” she continued. “Maybe you’re gonna go do something to mask the drugs or take something. I don’t even know. So, I had my drug tester in the bathroom with me for two hours, while I s— my brains out.”
VanZant last fought in the UFC since July 2020 and has not competed since her 2021 bareknuckle boxing match against Rachael Ostovich.
What do you think of Paige VanZant’s situation with USADA?