When is the USADA contract up and will WME re-sign?

[KickWith3rdLeg]

Along with the Reebok deal, when WME-IMG made their purchase of the UFC they probably thought they were getting a well packaged deal with those two partners, but in reality it was more like a cool looking lunchbox filled with rocks.

Personally i don't think WME/UFC is going to re-sign USADA for a variety of reasons.

1. The damage control is just not worth the lost revenue. Countless fights called off for Ostarine metabolites, marijuanna, I dont really give a f*ck, etc...

2. The debt ridden WME needs stars and revenue. Something USADA is not exactly helping with. Fighters seem to pull out of fights more often and are not fighting nearly as frequently (Cant really use the off-season vitamins for recovery)

Reebok - I think both parties are going to mutually part ways when it is up (For obvious reasons).

When push comes to shove, I don't foresee USADA's services being valued enough to make an extension with the UFC. It might be a black-eye at first, but it's one WME is willing to take.

"USADA was never my friend" - J.J.
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[king of theRing]

O hope they don't. Fuck Usada!!!

 

[GrantB13]

Going backwards on drug testing doesn't seem like the kind of thing a top tier organization would do. And if they're current fighters are getting busted because they've always been cheating then they'll just have to wait until newer guys come up. Nobody said it was gonna be painless

 

[Toco]

@dimspace @Pacemaker Joe

I think I even ask one of them some time ago. don't exactly remember now

 

[grimballer]

Going backwards on drug testing doesn't seem like the kind of thing a top tier organization would do. And if they're current fighters are getting busted because they've always been cheating then they'll just have to wait until newer guys come up. Nobody says it was gonna be painless

Sure why not?

If majority of fighters don’t like it n feel it’s invasive + it doesn’t really solve the ped problem

 

[dim_]

I think it was initially three years, but its not going anywhere

USADA have employed a shed ton of dedicated UFC staff and even recently had vacancies on the UFC team being advertised. They have just started using UFC to trial the new blood spot testing,

I would be amazed if it was cancelled at this point.

1. The damage control is just not worth the lost revenue. Countless fights called off for Ostarine metabolites, marijuanna, I dont really give a f*ck, etc...

How many fights have been called off for any of those things?

These are the fights cancelled in 2017 because fighters tested positive.. how many do people actually give a shit about

George Sullivan v Randy Brown
Ben Rothwell v Fabricio Werdum
Kelvin Gastelum v Anderson Silva (twice)
Amanda Ribas v Juliana Lima
Marcos Rogerio de Lima v Saparbek Safarov
Junior Dos Santos v Francis Ngannou
Carlos Felipe v Christian Colombo
Jesse Taylor v Belal Muhammad
James Mulheron v Cyril Asker
Little Nog v Jared Cannonier

2. The debt ridden WME needs stars and revenue. Something USADA is not exactly helping with. Fighters seem to pull out of fights more often and are not fighting nearly as frequently (Cant really use the off-season vitamins for recovery)

Fighters "seem to" pull out more often.. without any statistics or evidence thats not really an argument

 

[dim_]

Sure why not?

If majority of fighters don’t like it n feel it’s invasive + it doesn’t really solve the ped problem

a majority of the fighters dont say that though.

the only fighters who dont want usada are the ones who want to use ped's

 

[EnterTheNinja]

Along with the Reebok deal, when WME-IMG made their purchase of the UFC they probably thought they were getting a well packaged deal with those two partners, but in reality it was more like a cool looking lunchbox filled with rocks.

Personally i don't think WME/UFC is going to re-sign USADA for a variety of reasons.

1. The damage control is just not worth the lost revenue. Countless fights called off for Ostarine metabolites, marijuanna, I dont really give a f*ck, etc...

2. The debt ridden WME needs stars and revenue. Something USADA is not exactly helping with. Fighters seem to pull out of fights more often and are not fighting nearly as frequently (Cant really use the off-season vitamins for recovery)

Reebok - I think both parties are going to mutually part ways when it is up (For obvious reasons).

When push comes to shove, I don't foresee USADA's services being valued enough to make an extension with the UFC. It might be a black-eye at first, but it's one WME is willing to take.

"USADA was never my friend" - J.J.
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Regarding USADA, I would love it, I just don’t see a way out. How do you deal with the PR backlash of doing that?

For those of us who don’t care and think fighters should be allowed to take Mexican supplements, our attitudes are a bit more laid back. . . If they say they will resign with USADA our attitudes are more like “ah that sucks, oh well”. But there are those that think a fighter even on TRT is about the same as putting lead in their gloves. Those are the people that would outrage and boycott the UFC if they chose not to resign.

Plus there’s not much the UFC could say about not re-signing other than “we know people cheat and we’re cool with it because we lose money when cheaters get caught”.

Would be great for some of us though. Fuck USADA and fuck Reebok.

 

[KickWith3rdLeg]

Sure why not?

If majority of fighters don’t like it n feel it’s invasive + it doesn’t really solve the ped problem

Agreed. Plus on top of that Reebok is REALLLYY a failed attempt at legitimizing the sport. It is what it is... just cut and run

 

[chukutee]

WME are too busy molesting Terry Crews to make decisions about UFC and USADA. "Dana just do whatever Lorenzo would have done"

 

[Sonny Qc]

Usada is the only thing that make the UFC a serious sport nowadays.

Title fights
Rankings
Stupid Divisions
Management
Marketing

Pure Joke

 

[TheRassler]

someone start a poll to get rid of either 1) USADA or 2) UFC FLW division.

 

[fractal]

Going backwards on drug testing doesn't seem like the kind of thing a top tier organization would do. And if they're current fighters are getting busted because they've always been cheating then they'll just have to wait until newer guys come up. Nobody says it was gonna be painless

Do other top tier sports orgs even have legitimate 3rd party drug testing.

For example, if you get caught in the NFL, you are just suspended for a few games. And NFL is the premier top tier org in USA.

 

[KickWith3rdLeg]

Regarding USADA, I would love it, I just don’t see a way out. How do you deal with the PR backlash of doing that?

For those of us who don’t care and think fighters should be allowed to take Mexican supplements, our attitudes are a bit more laid back. . . If they say they will resign with USADA our attitudes are more like “ah that sucks, oh well”. But there are those that think a fighter even on TRT is about the same as putting lead in their gloves. Those are the people that would outrage and boycott the UFC if they chose not to resign.

Plus there’s not much the UFC could say about not re-signing other than “we know people cheat and we’re cool with it because we lose money when cheaters get caught”.

Would be great for some of us though. Fuck USADA and fuck Reebok.

They could just go back to "The GOVERNMENT comes in and test them" Just throw around the word GOVERNMENT and all is good.

Where u at Keith Keizer???

 

[TheChance]

Never should have gotten in bed with that shit ass organization in the first place

 

[KickWith3rdLeg]

Never should have gotten in bed with that shit ass organization in the first place

Looked like a good idea at first...

 

[GrantB13]

Do other top tier sports orgs even have legitimate 3rd party drug testing.

For example, if you get caught in the NFL, you are just suspended for a few games. And NFL is the premier top tier org in USA.

Couldn't tell you. I don't watch other sports aside from motor racing. But regardless, it seems weird to go from USADA to nothing while being the premier league for a sport.

 

[JeffDredd]

Looked like a good idea at first...

I think that's the thing. People just wanted to control the lesnars and Lombards of the sport, we got more than we bargained for.

 

[Otto!]

Getting rid of USADA would be a huge step back and a big loss of credibility for the organization.

We need better testing and harsher punishments. Fuck the cheaters.

 

[The guest]

They can’t get rid of testing now. That would be a step backwards in legitimacy.

Just as Jones getting anything less than 2 years would undermine the legitimacy of USADA. To appear completely legit. Jones needs to get 4 years.

But, testing is not going anywhere. Too bad, so sad for the cheaters, and their fans.