Conor McGregor believes the current UFC drug testing system is seriously flawed.
The interim UFC featherweight champion revealed during a UFC 194 press scrum that he has already been tested eight times under the new USADA system of drug testing.
“I got tested two days ago at about six in the morning. It was still dark out here in California and they dragged me out of bed, blood, urine.”
His opponent, Jose Aldo recently uploaded a photo to Instagram after he completed a random drug test from USADA. McGregor feels the Brazilian felt the need to prove that he was complying with the commission after the fiasco over his pre-fight drug test for their original scheduled bout at UFC 189.
“It’s almost like he’s got to say, ‘Look, I’m doing it! I’m posing for a picture. Look, I done it, I told you I’d do it.’ because of the fiasco that happened the last time where they called the police and they got the guy who came to take the test arrested and threw the piss test down the toilet and all this.”
“Well, I done it when we were supposed to do it in the original. I done it with no complaint. I didn’t need to post anything about or say anything about it.”
McGregor commended the UFC on trying to clean up the sport, but he believes there are still serious flaws with the system.
“The UFC are taking great, great steps to clean the sport and it’s phenomenal what they’re doing, but it’s still a flawed system. The Irish Sports Council were hired by USADA to come and test me. Irish people are coming to test me.”
He explained that being tested by your compatriots could prove ineffective if the fighter comes from a country with a culture of PED use. The Notorious believes that Brazil is one of those countries.
“So, if they’re coming to test me, then the same people who are testing Jose are the Brazilian commission. The same people who ask him for selfies, who train in the gym, who will look the other way when the piss test gets thrown over the shoulder.”
“I feel they’d have to send an American from USADA or wherever USADA’s based to go the that country and do it themselves. You can’t hire in someone from over there. You can walk into a chemist in Brazil and pick that (steroids) up. It’s part of the culture. That’s just the way they are. That’s just the way life is over there.”
“You can walk into the chemist and say, ‘I’d like a little bit more on that.’ (points to bicep) and the chemist will go, ‘We’ve got just what you need from that.’ and give you something just like that. Legal”
However, he admitted that he has no worries about fighting anyone who’s juicing, as PEDs don’t make you less susceptible to that trusty left hand.
“It’s not looked down upon. It’s just the way of life over there. I still just think it’s a flawed system, but I don’t care. You can’t put them (PEDs) on the chin, and I’m going for the chin.”
