Zuffa announces formal drugs policy for both the UFC and Strikeforce
Zuffa LLC have today at their fourth “Fighter Summit” revealed that they are introducing a formal drugs policy to help tackle the growing problem of performance enhancing drugs and testosterone replacement therapy, with both UFC and Strikeforce fighters falling under the new legislation.
Lawrence Epstein, the company’s Executive Vice-President and General Counsel, explained the written policy in a statement issued to MMABay.co.uk.
“It is important to continue educating our athletes on the dangers of PEDs and other banned substances. Additionally, no new UFC or Strikeforce promotional agreement will become effective before the athlete has provided a clean PED test result.”
“PED and banned substance usage harms the integrity of sport, potentially compromises the safety of our athletes, raises concerns for both short and long-term health issues and sends an improper message to our fanbase. We will continue to be at the forefront of this issue. And we will continue to work with Athletic Commissions and other bodies to ensure – to the fullest extent possible – that testing procedure keep pace with scientific advancements regarding the identification and detection of prohibited substances.”
The promotions’ medical consultant, Dr. Jeff Davidson, then spoke to the athletes about both the short and long-term medical effects of PEDs. Dr. Davidson discussed the topical Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, detailed the laws and regulations pertaining to PEDs and TRT.
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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