UFC removes fighters suspended for doping from its official rankings

H. Lombard (left) and A. Bagautinov (right) were the first names cut for doping. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS Production (Josh Hedges/UFC)

In yet another measure to curb the use of illegal substances among its athletes, the UFC organization announced that it is removing fighters suspended for doping from its official rankings. The measure, however, is only valid for athletes whose suspensions are for a period equal to or longer than nine months.

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The UFC ranking is made up of the average votes of a panel of accredited international journalists, but the fighters listed must meet some eligibility prerequisites. From now on, among the criteria to be met will be the absence of any type of sporting sanction linked to doping cases. Therefore, the names of these athletes will not be available for inclusion in the lists.

With the new policy, two names were immediately removed from the rankings: the Cuban Hector Lombard and Russian Ali Bagautinov. The Brazilian Anderson Silva, who was also recently caught using anabolic steroids and anxiolytics before and after UFC 183, remains on the lists as he was provisionally suspended and is still awaiting the final result of his trial, postponed until May. The same case applies to Spider's opponent, Nick Diaz, who tested positive for marijuana for the third time in his career.

In addition to the status assigned and the approximate classification of the race for the belts in each of the Ultimate races, the organization's official ranking will play another fundamental role from July, when the exclusive contract with Reebok comes into effect. In the new model, athletes will receive their image rights, portions of the total amount of the agreement with the sports equipment brand, based on their position in the ranking. In other words, being off the list could mean losing a lot of money.

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