USADA gives bold one-liner reaction after UFC threatens legal actions

The marriage between USADA and the UFC has come to an abrupt and ugly end. The organization served as the spearhead of the UFC's anti-doping program, with the two announcing their alliance back in 2015. The effects of its arrival were immediately felt, as numerous fighters experienced massive performance declines.

But now, in 2023, the UFC has deemed that their services will no longer be needed. Conor McGregor's prior refusal to undergo standard drug-testing was at the heart of the issue, with USADA claiming that its decision to refrain from granting the Irishman an exemption is what drew the UFC's ire.

A screenshot of Aaron Bronsteter's tweet

Conor McGregor is alleged to have abused performance-enhancing drugs to accelerate his recovery from the leg break he suffered against Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy bout. According to USADA CEO Travis Tygart, their refusal to grant McGregor an exemption caused the UFC to terminate their contract.

In response to the statement, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell threatened the organization with legal action, claiming that a false narrative has been propagated and that an exemption for McGregor was never actually pursued. To that, however, USADA said the following on X/Twitter, according to MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter:

"We stand by our statement and our credibility."

If the issue between the two is taken to a courtroom, it may very well stain the UFC's attempts at presenting MMA as a mainstream sport. Despite making tremendous ground in terms of its expansion and the elevation of its profile, MMA remains a niche sport, with very few crossover stars.

With Conor McGregor being the sport's most well-known athlete, knowing that the UFC abandoned its prior anti-doping program in favor of a new one with DFSI could reflect poorly on the promotion's reputation.

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Have other UFC fighters had issues with USADA's conduct?

While Conor McGregor has expressed open derision over how the organization refused to bend to his demands, he isn't the only UFC fighter to have frustrations with their conduct. UFC middleweight Paulo Costa famously spoke out against the organization.

Ahead of his UFC 278 clash with Luke Rockhold, the Brazilian was on the final dehydrated stretch of his weight cut, when he was approached for a blood test just hours before making weight. Costa responded with anger, and even earned an apology from UFC CEO Dana White.