PFL announces immediate USADA anti-doping partnership 'very similar' to UFC's but 'with minor distinctions'

In the wake of numerous positive athlete drug tests, PFL has officially partnered with USADA, the same anti-doping organization utilized by the UFC.

In a memo sent Tuesday by PFL president of fighter operations Ray Sefo to fighters and teams, the promotion announced its immediate installment of the partnership and detailed what that exactly means. Fighters who are partaking in the upcoming playoffs are now required to partake in educational introduction sessions later this week.

According to a document attached to the email, the PFL and UFC drug-testing protocols implemented by USADA “will be very similar, with minor distinctions to account for the PFL’s sport season format.” It is unclear exactly what those distinctions are at this time.

Additonally, whereabouts failures will not be installed to start, though the document indicates that will eventually change.

MMA Junkie acquired and verified the email with multiple people who received it, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has not yet spoken publicly on the matter. USADA confirmed the partnership on a new informational page on their official website. ESPN first reported the news.

Read below the email message sent to fighters:

“PFL Fighters,

We are proud to announce that today we are formally launching the PFL Anti-Doping Program in partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

USADA conducts year-round, independent anti-doping programs for all Olympic, Paralympic, and UFC athletes, and will now do so for PFL athletes as well.

This program is part of the PFL’s commitment as a fighter first organization to supporting a safe, level playing field and advancing the highest levels of competition and the integrity of the sport.

The program will begin immediately with initial educational sessions being scheduled with USADA this week for participants in the upcoming Playoffs. Educational sessions to explain the program will be scheduled with other fighters thereafter. It is strongly recommended that each fighter have their coach, manager, or other key support person join the educational sessions.

The PFL Fighter Ops Team will follow up shortly with more details.

In the meantime, more information about the program is available in the attached FAQs and at http://PFL.USADA.org.

Ray Sefo
President of Fighter Operations”

The partnership with USADA comes after a 2023 regular season filled with drug test failures and, at a Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) hearing, is one PFL indicated would soon come.

Though it does not appear athletic commissions changed their independent drug testing procedures, 10 fighters tested positive over the span of the promotion’s first three regular season events in Las Vegas.

Among the positives were 2022 light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson, 2021 heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza, former UFC title challenger and Thiago Santos.

All of the fighters who tested positive were suspended, fined, and those who won had their victories overturned. The results of the drug tests from the PFL’s second grouping of regular season events, which took place in Atlanta in June, have not yet been publicized.