Fighters booked for next month’s UFC on ESPN 3 card no longer need to fret about recent marijuana or CBD use.
The Florida State Boxing Commission is changing a zero-tolerance policy on cannabinoids to reflect international standards before the April 27 event in Sunrise, Fla., UFC VP of Athlete Performance Jeff Novitzky today told MMA Junkie.
A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Business and Regulation, which oversees the FSBC, couldn’t immediately confirm the change and said an official comment is forthcoming.
The World Anti-Doping Agency’s policy allows up to 150 mg/nL of cannabinoids in an athlete’s system before a violation is registered, and only during the in-competition window of testing. The UFC’s drug testing program, administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Policy, follows the same guideline.
After the FSBC pulled Titan FC flyweight champ Juan Puerta off this past week’s Titan FC 53 just minutes before his title defense for a positive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) test, Novitzky said the UFC sent out a notice to fighters advising them of Florida’s zero tolerance policy.
But as it turned out, no extra caution will be needed. Novitzky said UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner contacted FSBC Executive Director Patrick Cunningham, who told him the policy will be changed and will include all cannabinoids.
“You have to give them credit for getting up to the world standard and being able to implement that on the fly,” Novitzky said.
Yoel Romero (13-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) meets Ronaldo Souza (26-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in a headlining rematch at UFC on ESPN 3. The night’s main card and prelims air on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.
For more on UFC on ESPN 3, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
