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[Cat--Smasher]

UFC Canada head Tom Wright says all UFC 152 fighters will be drug tested

B.J. Penn's call for independent drug testing at UFC 152 may have fizzled, but the promotion still plans to screen the card's fighters.

At a pre-event press conference for the event, which takes place Sept. 22 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright said testing will take place "out of province" as the province of Ontario "has a policy that relates to that."

"We will test our athletes and make sure there's a level playing field," Wright said.

Typically, the UFC hires an independent drug testing laboratory for events held in places without an athletic commission. Title bouts are mandatorily screened for performance-enhancers and drugs of abuse, and others are tested at random. Results are released following the event.

Ontario's athletic commission, which began regulating MMA events in 2010, requires fighters to meet "comprehensive pre-fight medical requirements" and be screened for communicable diseases. But it leaves drug testing to promoters.

"At the time the Ontario regulations permitting MMA was developed, we found no legal requirements on other professional sports, such as hockey or football, to have mandatory PED testing," wrote Ontario athletics commissioner Ken Hayashi in an email to MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com). "Rather for other professional sports, mandatory testing for PED is left to the professional athletes (through their player's associations) and the league organizers to negotiate.

"We saw no evidence to treat professional combat sports any differently than other professional sports."

At a media event held earlier this month, Penn, a vocal opponent of performance-enhancing drugs, said he'd pulled back on volunteering to participate in a drug testing program conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency for his fight with Rory MacDonald, which serves on the event's pay-per-view main-card.

Penn expressed concerns that the fight could be jeopardized if drug testing results were made public prior to the event. While he indicated that he was clean and wasn't trying to cast doubt on MacDonald, he said it wasn't his place to agree to a such a program in a bout he isn't promoting.

"My hands are tied," Penn said. "I'm not trying to put any pressure on the people who are trying to make me money, but if Dana White doesn't get paid, B.J. Penn doesn't get paid."

MacDonald, who'd also agreed to participate in the program, today vented about the plan going nowhere.

"I think he did it just to start [expletive] to get something going," the 23-year-old fighter said of Penn, who did not attend the press conference. "But I was up for it. I was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.' I was ready to prove that I'm not on anything, and maybe motivate other fighters to start doing [VADA], too. But he was the one that offered it and then backed out of it.

"He started making all these sayings like they (said they) weren't going to release the tests before the fight, and they never did. He started making up all this stuff, so I don't really know what's going on with B.J.'s head right now."

UFC Canada head Tom Wright says all UFC 152 fighters will be drug tested | MMAjunkie.com

[Qball1974]

Doesn't help when some shit is "LEGAL".

[The Muss]

I'm starting to dislike rory maybe it's because he is fighting .bj who I firmly hug the nuts of

[Cat--Smasher]

Originally Posted by The Muss

I'm starting to dislike rory maybe it's because he is fighting .bj who I firmly hug the nuts of

Is it disliking Rory or just loving Penn because he has not provided too much ammo to dislike him at this point.

[TheDoucheyWun]

I like the fact that every time I hear from "Ares" hate the new nick name but anyhow the kids confidence grows more each time he speaks and it speaks volumes in the cage I love it.

[rough-n-tumble]

It's a shame that every time BJ opens his mouth I want to see him get smashed. I really hope he goes into one of those diatribes and then proclaims he's ready to die in the cage. And I say it's a shame because the guy put his stamp on MMA and sets himself up to tarnish his name in the sport.

The worst thing about BJ Penn having a fight is having to listen to everybody talk about which BJ is going to show up. It's worse than Tito and his injury excuses.