UFC president Dana White is embarking on his company’s third stint on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. This time, however, there are several big changes to the landscape.
The fights are moving from the Flash Forum to Etihad Arena, where a limited amount of fans will be allowed into the venue. White hasn’t wanted to hold events with partial crowds, but explained why he was on board for it to happen in Abu Dhabi.
This trip to Abu Dhabi also includes the return of Conor McGregor, who fought once in 2020 and then retired. McGregor will square off with Dustin Poirier in a UFC 257 headlining rematch.
UFC on Thursday announced several significant changes to its Anti-Doping Policy, including modifications in the handling of cannabis and its naturally occurring cannabinoid constituents.
Most importantly, positive tests over the threshold and decision limit for carboxy-THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, will no longer be considered a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, unless additional evidence exists that an athlete used it intentionally for performance-enhancing purposes.
All other “phyto” cannabinoids (those derived naturally from the cannabis plant) are no longer prohibited substances under the Policy.
“While we want to continue to prevent athletes from competing under the influence of marijuana, and we have learned that urinary levels of carboxy-THC are highly variable after out-of-competition use and have poor scientific correlation to in-competition impairment,” stated Jeff Novitzky, UFC Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance.