UFC president Dana White said he won't stand in the way of B.J. Penn and Rory MacDonald's enrollment with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
Despite the fact that a positive pre-event drug test could cast a cloud over their fight at UFC 152, White said the decision was "their business."
"B.J. wants to go drug test every friggin' two days, good for him," White on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com). "Knock yourself out."
UFC 152 takes place Sept. 22 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto and is headlined by the UFC's first flyweight title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson. MacDonald (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Penn (16-8-2 MMA, 12-7-2 UFC) meet on the evening's pay-per-view main card.
After some uncertainty whether the fighters would sign on, Penn and MacDonald finalized agreements to undergo eight weeks of random, Olympic-style drug testing at the expense of the Las Vegas-based organization, which is headed by former Nevada State Athletic Commission chief ringside physician Margaret Goodman.
White cast more than a sideways glance at the necessity of such a move.
"It's just stupid," he said. "You've got guys like B.J. and (Roy) 'Big Country' (Nelson), and guys like that that are always out there talking smack. The Nevada State Athletic Commission does the drug testing.
"VADA, WADA, badda, nada. Whatever. Nevada does it, or California, or wherever we are."
In the case of UFC 152, the promotion finds itself in Toronto, which is overseen by the Ontario Athletic Commission (Office of the Athletics Commissioner).
VADA has stated the result of the random testing will be submitted to the commission, the Association of Boxing Commissions and the UFC.
It's unclear, however, what would happen in the event of a positive drug test. The Ontario Athletic Commission, which has previously overseen UFC 129 and UFC 140, earlier told MMAjunkie.com that drug testing is "left to the professional athletes (through their players associations) and the league organizers to negotiate."
While the UFC has contracted with an independent lab to conduct drug testing at the event, White's stance clearly indicates no such relationship exists with VADA.
Upon the news that MacDonald would participate in the program, manager Lex MacMahon said he didn't sense concern from the UFC over the enrollment.
"These are two individual athletes, and this is testing that's outside of the UFC," he said. "We've certainly spoken with them. They're going to be doing their own testing. This is extraordinary testing.
"We think we're on the right side of this issue, and I commend both Rory and B.J. for taking the action that they're taking."
Positive drug tests have this year canceled two high-profile boxing matches: Lamont Peterson vs. Amir Khan and Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz.
Penn and MacDonald, however, have never tested positive for a banned substance. Penn, in particular, has been a vocal advocate for stamping out peformance-enhancing drugs, which prompted him to join VADA.
White shares that desire, but apparently not the way in which Penn is pursuing it.
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