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BJ Penn and Rory MacDonald were both approached by the Voluntary
Anti-Doping Association (VADA) to participate in testing before their fight,
according to an article in MMA Torch. While both of them agreed to go ahead and
participate in the program, one of the procedures of the program has now raised
the ire of Penn, who is quoted in the article as feeling like the policies of
the VADA are putting the fight in danger.
Penn wanted the results of the test withheld until the fight
was over, according to the article. THE VADA, however, wants to have the
results released before the fight, which Penn says puts the fight in danger of
not happening at all. Citing the tremendous amout of training the fighters
engage in pre-fight and the millions that are required to market an MMA event,
Penn claims that the policy of VADA is unacceptable.
How determined is Penn to have the results released
post-fight? So determined that he has already said that he would pay for all of
the testing if VADA would concede to his demand.
Doping and Controversy
MMA has had its share of issues with steroids and other
performance-enhancing drugs, as have other sports. The VADA is likely to not
back down on the requirement that the results be released before the fight,
according to analysts, as the point of the program is to disqualify athletes
who use performance-enhancing drugs.
MacDonald and Penn, according to the article, hashed out the
idea on Twitter and decided that they'd go ahead and participate in the VADA
testing before UFC 152. At present, however, Penn seems adamant—to the point of
offering his own money to cover the testing—to have the results released after
the fight. VADA, however, will not withhold the results of its testing once it
has performed them, according to the same article.
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