The Savage Truth: Premature Celebration

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(OPINION) -- I know, I know, the box on the calendar for June 3, 2015 will forever be known as the day the world of MMA was bleached, disinfected and cleansed of the scourge of performance-enhancing drugs. There is only one minor problem: It isn’t even close to the truth. The fact is PED’s are here to stay -- forever.

What the Ultimate Fighting Championship is doing -- and what it should be commended for doing -- is taking every measurable step to ensure the creation of as level a playing field as possible for the athletes it pays to beat the s--- out of each other. Nothing more and nothing less is going on with the announcement of the UFC’s soon-to-be-implemented Athlete Marketing and Development Program. It will cost the UFC upwards of $4 million just to get the program off the ground, according to a source close to the company.

I have been talking about the PED epidemic in MMA for quite some time, and while I think Wednesday’s announcement is a positive step for the sport, please excuse me if I’m not ready to make the “Mission Accomplished” declaration just yet. I have some serious questions about how this program is going to work, and I would like to see it rolled out and implemented before I make a decision on how effective and successful it will be.

I know it may be a cynical view, but I genuinely believe the sport is infected to its core, with a big portion of the athletes using any and all means to give them the best chance to succeed in a line of work that demands so much from its participants.

This is not going to be a quick fix. Oh, there may be a drop off in use once testing gets under way, but don’t think there will not be fighters who are tempted to the point of use by the harsh realities of the sport. Chance it and use or don’t chance it and get cut may be a reality check for many a fighter staring down the barrel of a potential pink slip. The temptation is too great for many, and they will still use.

The rewards can also be too great for others to give up their enhancers. A top pay-per-view draw can earn well into the seven figures per fight. Big-time paydays like that give athletes the kinds of means to address their enhancing needs in a whole different way. Chemists and doctors have been coming up with designer steroids for years, and if you have the money, there will always be a way to beat the system. It may not be foolproof, but if history shows us anything, it is that even the best drug testing procedures can be beaten.

Again, I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but I think we need to be honest with ourselves and with our sport as a whole when we discuss this incendiary topic. Rarely is there ever a simple solution to a complex problem, and this one is no different.

There are a number of other problematic issues for which I have yet to see good answers. How transparent will this program actually be? How much input did fighters have in drawing up the appeals process? Are fighters going to become employees or will they remain independent contractors? How do you make an independent contractor submit to all of this? Did the UFC have to change or amend its contracts to add language that binds fighters to these regulations?

Mind you, none of these questions even factor in other promoters of MMA and how they will react to positive tests or if they will even embrace testing outside of that which athletic commissions already perform. Will a Bellator MMA or a World Series of Fighting go out and sign fighters who have been suspended and/or cut from the UFC because of this policy?

These questions -- and many more, I am sure -- will need to be asked and answered for fighters and their representatives over the coming weeks and months. With a July 1 rollout date, I’m sure it is going to be a very busy time for the both the promotion and its talent. I, for one, am curious to see how the fighters react.

We have seen an unprecedented pushback from UFC fighters in regards to the Reebok apparel deal. Will we see concerns raised about this deal, as well? It will be tough to be too outspoken on this deal without looking like a potential cheater, so I assume the blowback will be minimal, at least in public.

With all of the new policies being put in place at the UFC, from the Reebok deal to the drug testing policy to the newly announced UFC Lab, one thing is certain: The UFC is no longer just a promoter of mixed martial arts. It is a big-time professional sport’s league, and with that distinction, it becomes the only one in North America that does not engage in collective bargaining with its athletes. Will that change anytime soon? I doubt it, but if I was being told I was an independent contractor (i.e. someone without the protections and tax benefits of being an employee) and I had zero say in the introduction of any of these new policies, I would be deeply troubled to say the least.

It’s not all bad if you’re a contracted fighter for the UFC. If you want a level playing field, you’re about to get a platform to compete on that is as level as it is ever going to be due to this new policy. While cheating will never be completely eliminated in any sport or venture where cheating gives one a marked advantage, the introduction of this new policy will make skill, heart and determination much more useful traits than they have been.

For me, the bottom line is that the UFC was forced into acting in this manner to protect its brand’s value and reputation. Its actions in designing and implementing this policy just so happen to align with the calls for cleaning up the sport that a number of media members and many fans have been making for more than a decade.

Am I happy there is movement in a positive direction? Absolutely. Does the UFC deserve credit for opening its wallets and doing something historic when it comes to PED testing? Yes, 100 percent. Is this the end of PEDs in mixed martial arts? Hardly.

If we can’t celebrate now, then when? Get back to me in 5-10 years, and I’ll let you know.

Greg Savage is the executive editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached by email or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.