The UFC has launched an announcement on their web site calling out USADA for screwing up the administration of a failed drug take a look at for certainly one of their fighters.
In line with the entry on UFC.com authored by Fight Sports activities Anti-Doping (CSAD), “Russian Ronda” Irina Alekseeva failed a drug take a look at on June twenty first, 2023, which was when USADA was nonetheless operating UFC’s drug testing program. Alekseeva’s urine contained ‘values per the administration of testosterone of exogenous origin.’
However USADA didn’t hassle to report this drug take a look at failure to Alekseeva or UFC for months.
“USADA didn’t report the outcomes of this pattern to her and to UFC till October 31, 2023, greater than 4 (4) months after the pattern was collected and AFTER Alekseeva was allowed to compete in a UFC occasion in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 14, 2023,” the assertion learn.
The UFC ended it’s relationship with USADA on the finish of 2023 (underneath considerably acrimonious circumstances), and now makes use of CSAD. The brand new drug testing regime hasn’t been as seen as USADA was, however appear to be administrating issues in a truthful and competent method up to now.
“Whereas CSAD was not the unbiased administrator of the UFC ADP in the course of the above-described time interval, CSAD acknowledges the significance of promptly reporting outcomes on samples collected within the months and weeks main as much as a UFC occasion BEFORE the occasion takes place,” the assertion learn. “CSAD additionally acknowledges that optimistic outcomes reported out greater than 4-months after a pattern is collected, and the place the athlete is allowed to compete in a UFC bout within the interim, is unacceptable.”
CSAD contacted Alekseeva as soon as their program took over and carried out a full investigation into all of her testing surrounding the failed drug take a look at. Three checks given after the preliminary take a look at failure all got here again with no indicators of exogenous testosterone. However as a result of delay between failing the take a look at and being notified of the failure, Alekseeva’s workforce wasn’t in a position to examine an in depth listing of dietary supplements that will have precipitated the unusual drug take a look at outcome.
Up to now, USADA would have mentioned too unhealthy, so unhappy, two 12 months suspension. Given the goofy scenario surrounding the take a look at notification, CSAD is giving her 12 months from the day she final competed for UFC, which was October 15, 2023.
