UFC heavyweight Travis Browne has volunteered to subject himself to the same enhanced drug testing his opponent Josh Barnett will have to undergo in the run-up to their fight at UFC 168.
The tests were ordered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) as a condition for granting Barnett his first license to fight in the state since 2006.
Browne confirmed his decision to undergo the same WADA-certified drug testing as Barnett in a statement released through his manager John Fosco (H/T MMA Junkie).
I think it’s a great idea, and I’m a big supporter of it. I think our sport and the commission taking actions like this is putting us ahead of the game compared to other sports. We’re not putting out a fire. We’re attacking the problem before it becomes an epidemic.
As with Barnett, the UFC has agreed to foot the bill for all of the tests involved. However, Browne will undergo testing only in the month and a half leading up to their Dec. 28 clash, as well as immediately after the match as per standard commission practice. Barnett, meanwhile, will continue to be tested for all of 2014.
Barnett has been subjected to such extensive scrutiny after having failed three separate drug tests in his career. He failed twice in 2001 and 2002, in two consecutive matches fighting for the UFC in the state of Nevada; the latter of which cost him his UFC heavyweight title. Then, in 2009, he failed a third drug test in the lead-up to a much anticipated fight between him and Fedor Emelianenko in the state of California.
During his hearing with the NSAC last week, Barnett explained that his previous failures were due to the consumption of supplements that were later reclassified as anabolic steroids or were contaminated. He also said that he would never apply for a therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone—a controversial practice many would argue disguises cheating.
Browne, meanwhile, has never failed a drug test in his career.
Both fighters have shot up the UFC rankings after scoring first-round KOs against their opponents in their last outings. Indeed, the winner of their match at UFC 168 could determine who gets the next shot at heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who is set to face Fabricio Werdum sometime next year.
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