Fighters Weren't Drug Tested at UFC 69 and UFC 70

A decade or so ago, mixed martial arts was on the brink of being banned in the United States. Labeled by Senator John McCain as "human cockfighting," it was seen by many in Washington as violent spectacle, not sport. But the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the biggest mixed martial arts organization, was able to convince Congress not to ban its sport with a number of concessions, including drug testing for the athletes.

So a Houston Chronicle report that the fighters weren't tested at the two most recent UFC events is alarming. At UFC 69, there was some kind of confusion about who the appropriate governing body to administer drug tests was. At UFC 70, UFC's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner said, "we had no legal means to do it."

Whatever the reason, this is a serious blow to UFC. There's no bigger issue facing the sports world right now than drugs, and if UFC can't demonstrate that its athletes are drug free, large segments of the sports world won't take UFC seriously.

Hat tip: FightOpinion.com.