Las Vegas, Nevada – The
Ultimate Fighting Championship® and STRIKEFORCE® organizations held their
fourth Fighter Summit on July 9 and July 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President
Dana White and UFC CEO and Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta welcomed over 300 UFC® and
STRIKEFORCE® athletes to Las Vegas, Nevada.
At the Summit, Pro Football
Hall of Famer Michael Irvin gave a speech to the fighters on the social
responsibilities and pressures placed upon modern-day athletes. Irvin, a die-hard UFC fan, said. “The reality
is that life is going to hit you and make you cry. You have to live your life
remembering the legacy you will leave behind. Hopefully, I’m helping people.
I’ve lived with a great deal of regret in my life. I don’t want others to deal
with what I had to because of my mistakes.”
Many of the fighters commentated
that Irvin’s speech was deeply inspiring and a highlight of the summit.
UFC and STRIKEFORCE also
announced a formalized written policy against performance enhancing drugs
(PEDs) and other banned substances.
Lawrence Epstein, the company’s Executive Vice-President and General
Counsel, explained the written policy is a continuation of the existing policy,
and that both promotions will follow guidelines drafted by the same law firm,
which advises the National Football League on PEDs.
Epstein said: “It is
important to continue educating our athletes on the dangers of PEDs and other
banned substances. Additionally, no new UFC or STRIKEFORCE promotional
agreement will become effective before the athlete has provided a clean PED
test result.”
He added: “PED and banned
substance usage harms the integrity of sport, potentially compromises the
safety of our athletes, raises concerns for both short and long-term health
issues and sends an improper message to our fanbase. We will continue to be at the
forefront of this issue. And we will continue to work with Athletic Commissions
and other bodies to ensure - to the fullest extent possible - that testing
procedures keep pace with scientific advancements regarding the identification
and detection of prohibited substances.”
The promotions’ medical
consultant Dr. Jeff Davidson then spoke to the athletes about both the short
and long-term medical effects of PEDs. Dr. Davidson discussed the topic of
Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and Keith Kizer - the Executive Director
of the Nevada State Athletic Commission - detailed the laws and regulations
pertaining to PEDs and TRT.
The Fighter Summit itinerary
also included topics such as how the fighters can better promote themselves
using social media, an announcement on the company’s new relationship with
video game giant EA Sports, and a presentation on sensitivity and promoting
professional brand excellence.
UFC President Dana White
said: “When we see our fighters during event time, they are cutting weight or
are going from interview to interview, so it is important to sit down with them
– all 300-plus of them – in a room and go over what is happening in our sport.
We had a great line-up of speakers, experts in everything from social media, to
brand awareness to medical experts, and our fighters went away with some great
information. These summits are very hard to organize, but we feel they are very
worthwhile.”
It was also announced that,
despite an increase in cost, all UFC and STRIKEFORCE athletes will have
accidental medical insurance for a second year, including added coverage for
pre-existing conditions.
UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta
said: “Flying over three hundred athletes from literally all over the world,
including Brazil, Europe, Asia, Australia and all over North America, is always
a logistical challenge. But it is invaluable for our major sports organization
to get all of our athletes together and go over things like insurance, drug
testing and social responsibility. We had great feedback from our athletes and
the summit was extremely important.”
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