Why is USADA leaving the UFC? The controversial split may not be what it seems

It was recently revealed that the USADA will not continue running the UFC's anti-doping program beyond December 31. The relationship between the two parties hit a new low earlier this week after the drug-testing agency released a scathing statement outlining why their long-running contract extension talks fell apart.

On Wednesday, USADA CEO Travis Tygart issued a public statement confirming that Conor McGregor was back in their testing pool. For context, the Irishman withdrew from active drug testing while recovering from the leg fracture he suffered during his bout against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

With McGregor now looking to return, he must complete his mandatory six-month testing period before he is allowed to compete in the octagon. According to Tygart, the UFC tried to convince the drug-testing agency to grant their biggest superstar a special exemption. The anti-doping agency seemingly refused to allow that and announced that they would discontinue their partnership with the UFC.

After the drug-testing agency issued its initial statement, many were led to believe that the UFC was at fault for causing their split. While the agency's letter implied they initiated the corporate estrangement, UFC CBO Hunter Campbell recently revealed that it was actually the other way around.

At a recent press conference, Campbell confirmed that the UFC initiated the split and said:

"Ego, fear, I think it's a combination of a lot of things... The reality was, I spoke to him the way I'm speaking to you today, and I couldn't have been more clear about the reasons we were making a change and he was just completely unhinged."

Catch Campbell's comments below (33:22):

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USADA leaving UFC: Former champion Anthony Pettis weighs in

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis recently weighed in on USADA splitting away from the UFC. Pettis notably competed in the promotion before and after the drug-testing agency's involvement and believes that many fighters would be happy to see the agency leave.

'Showtime' stated that while steroid use was far more rampant before USADA's involvement in the UFC, he believes the drug-testing agency was notorious for taking things too far.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Pettis outlined how rigorously fighters were tested and stated:

"There’s so much stuff that you’ve got to do to be part of that program. It kept the sport fair. Dudes are getting drug tested the night of the fight, before the fight, the week of the fight."

He continued:

"As the fighter, we had to update our whereabouts... Little things like that, I just think there’s a better way to do it... I have no bad things to say against USADA. But I think there’s other ways to do it."