Russian UFC champion Islam Makhachev commenting on the news of the end of cooperation between the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the promotion, told that he did not want to “go back to gladiator fights” when athletes were not not checked for doping.
USADA announced Wednesday that effective Jan. 1, 2024, the agency will no longer participate in the UFC’s anti-doping program, which subjects fighters to testing at any time after signing a contract with the league. Makhachev, who has been competing in the UFC since 2015, is one of the record holders for clean doping controls.
— There is news that USADA and UFC will end their cooperation. How did you react to this information?
– This upset me. There was jokes in the room that from now on all the belts would be held by the Brazilians. High-level sports must be tested and controlled by an organization. I don’t know if there is anyone other than USADA that does this. I hope they find someone else. Before USADA there were only fighters, during USADA everything changed. “I wouldn’t want to go back to gladiator fights,” Makhachev told .
Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title against Australian Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Watch the live broadcast of the tournament on October 21 on the channel, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
