UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta

By FCF Staff

The Ultimate Fighting Championship held a press conference today, and as expected, the promotion announced it is implementing new, more stringent drug testing policies.

The conference was called in wake of the recent drug scandals that have rocked the sport, which include the news that Anderson Silva allegedly tested positive for steroids last month.

The UFC announced that effective, July 1st, 2015, all of the promotion’s fighter will be subject to random, performance enhancing drug testing. Every fighter who competes in a main event or championship fight will be subject to enhanced and out-of-competition drug testing. The UFC plans to work with a global, third party organization to oversee the new, more extensive drug testing regiment.

Since many jurisdictions and commissions do not have the funding to conduct widespread, random drug testing, the UFC plans to pay for any additional costs the new policy requires.

During the conference, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta relayed that throughout 2013 and 2014, only 1.3% of 900, in-competition drug tests revealed the presence of PEDs. Of the 19 in-competition drug tests conducted during that time, however, there was a 26.3% failure rate. Thus, this is why the promotion is taking steps to increase out-of-competition testing substantially.

Fertitta and UFC President Dana White also conceded that the rate of positive test could increase in the short term, as the new policy is implemented.

UFC officials also called for lengthier suspensions to be handed to PED offenders. The promotion supports an automatic two year ban for first time offenders, or possibly up to four years, in certain cases.