It should never happen though, because what is then the point of it all. Not to mention, unfair to other fighters. If Brock and an occasional other fighters would get an excemption, that would still be objectionable to me.
Schaub: Hunt should be able to take 'whatever he wants' for Lesnar fight
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can you share some more on this please
Brock is being given the same treatment in this case as every other fighter that is signed into the UFC and directly into a fight on less than 4 months notice.
I don't know what you're after so I find it hard to follow up.
There are two differences in this situation to that of the just mentioned Darrell Horcher.
1. Brock hasn't been an active competitor in the UFC for years and was therefore considered retired. Horcher was an active competitor but not in the UFC. Both taking "short notice" fights. Neither having to be drug tested by USADA for 4 months before the bout. One is exempt because he wasn't in the UFC and the other needs a special exemption because he wasn't in the UFC.
2. Brock. That's the reason this is a big deal to people. The only people that we would even care about in regards to this are also people that most people want to see fight like Brock, GSP, even Chael... If Cole Konrad (although it doesn't even apply to him because the rule only even applies to fighters that were formerly in the UFC) came out of retirement for a short notice fight no one would give a shit about whether or not he was exempt from the 4 month rule.
Based on this I can agree with you. If ALL fighters must be available for 4 months before they can fight then I'm all in because then there are zero exceptions.
But as it stands currently, new hires are automatically exempt and no one gives a damn about them. This is exactly why I don't care that Brock is given the exemption because he's effectively being treated as a new hire. An insanely highly paid new hire but a new hire nevertheless.
You are correct that there are differences between the two situations, but the common ground is that they were granted an exemption.
Well if the UFC was going to do away with exemptions from this rule, you can say goodbye to short notice fights for people from different organizations, and you can say goodbye to situations like this where they put something together that gets a legend on 200. As was mentioned earlier, this rule was made to stop people from retiring to ditch testing and then coming back with no notice when your blood is clean. Even if Brock was a user at some point, this obviously isn't what was happening.
Also, if your problem is that Brock isn't getting tested, look up WWE's wellness program. He has been tested plenty recently.
This is pretty interesting..as it has never happened before, I think for a "normal" fight/fighter coming back from "retirement" he wouldn't have fought until 4months after because he'd have to have been tested by USADA, as I understand it, that paragraph is so you can't skip testing by "retiring" every other week and applies to UFC fighters for who USADA is working for..so if you come from say King of the Cage, ofcourse you wouldn't be expected to have USADA testing, Brock did fight in the UFC however, and according to people explaining how he came back for 200, always was and will be a UFC fighter (unless he gets released), which means that he should've been tested or given a 4month notice.
Curiously, the negotiations started 3 months ago (according to Brock himself), while the first instance of USADA testing happened last friday or something (per twatter). You'd think an org that takes PED use seriously would've included some testing in the negotiation process, but apparently not.
With the amount of stuff in his system, he's gonna need long notice to cycle off........
I can do without those short notice fights yes, especially from other organizations. Short notice fights lead to nothing but excuses anyways, as if the fight isn't really valid.
As for getting big fights for their beloved UFC 200, why not in a timely manner that doesn't diminish the credibility, or even nullify their anti-PED program? We could then still have the TRT program for the likes of Hulk-Vitor, and Thunder Dan Henderson. But no, these excemptions are now only in place for specific cases in which the UFC scrambles for a decent main event, worthy of UFC 200.
WWE testing their athletes is like the NFL testing their athletes, flawed and beatable.
I don't care whether he used or not, its the excemption that he and possible other fighters get when the UFC is in a panic for a decent card. That for me negates the drug testing program. We may as well have TRT and IV's back.
While I do see your point, and it's obviously well thought out, I think you're stretching a bit when you say it nullifies the whole program. Brock will still be tested, just not for 4 months before the fight. The WWE testing is a lot more reliable than most would guess, and as long as they aren't not testing him at all, and they aren't covering up positive tests I'm okay with this situation.
They won't waive it for him, I guarantee it.
They aren't gonna start testing him until the contract is signed. Otherwise, no real legal authority to do so.
The contract you're saying in reality is a bout agreement, since Brock never left. At least that is, unless he had indeed left the UFC legally.
Retirement freezes ufc contracts iirc
Brock retired, from what I understand. You can't be a UFC employee and sign with WWE. There's no way he was under contract with the UFC all these years.
Well you can, because WWE is not a combat sport or a fight promotion but a show. Hell, Bisping was shooting a movie when he got the call for the title shot...what's the difference?
I'll let chael explain.(around 1:30)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfM4lXV7c_A
Woah! I had no idea about any of that. I'm not sure I believe that, though.
The rumor in the wrestling circle was that Brock held out on Wrestlemania this year and re-negotiated his contract to include being allowed to fight in the UFC.
Honestly, I appreciate you sharing this video. Time to put my detective hat on. Haha
everything Schaub said and the corresponding entire premise of the article is outright bullshit....
Lesnar left UFC pre-USADA and when he returned in the USADA era he was given an exception to the four month policy that a new UFC fighter would be required to complete before their 1st UFC fight....
...that is essentially a type of 'grandfather' clause/exception for a RETURNING fighter (bypassing the 4 month window), Schaub left the UFC pre-USADA also hence Lesnar's exception does the exact opposite of what he is calling 'fishy'. The Lesnar exception makes him eligible for the same exception, sets a precedent for allowing a pre-USADA fighter to return on short notice with a 4 month waiver.
The guy is criminally stupid (and the author is pathetically uninformed).
Lesnar left UFC pre-USADA and when he returned in the USADA era he was given an exception to the four month policy that a new UFC fighter would be required to complete before their 1st UFC fight....
...that is essentially a type of 'grandfather' clause/exception for a RETURNING fighter (bypassing the 4 month window), Schaub left the UFC pre-USADA also hence Lesnar's exception does the exact opposite of what he is calling 'fishy'. The Lesnar exception makes him eligible for the same exception, sets a precedent for allowing a pre-USADA fighter to return on short notice with a 4 month waiver.
The guy is criminally stupid (and the author is pathetically uninformed).
Its how I understood how Ronda was able to go on there that time and now again. Iirc, when a UFC fighter retires, his contract is frozen, so if he wants to go to another promotional org he can't without the UFC's consent etc.
Time to go Shieldsing!
It is 'special' in the context he is the 1st one to get it....
but more will, grandfather clauses are pretty common, for example if GSP said he wants a fight in Sep the UFC could/would envoke the identical exception....
they have to have this in place for RETURNING fighters with no PED test failure history
you know those 'have a toke' and 'drunk?' emojis?
we need one about smoking PCP
Not saying he was clean. I'm saying that one of their wrestlers murdered his family and killed himself so they actually had to make attempts to clean up the organization. It's pretty easily googled. Why do you think wrestlers have gotten so much smaller since the '90s?
EDIT: I don't know if they have TUE's for TRT. I'll have to check that out. I just know that WWE's testing policy is one of the best in the world.
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I should've clarified. When I said it would arguably nullify the drug program, I meant that for me personally is the case, not in general.
If there is exceptions made, that for me, bullshittifies the whole operation. Becuase that was the entire point, STRICT regulation WITHOUT exceptions. But here it is, a small hole in the system. It's almost an acknowledgement that the possibility of Brock using substances looks plausable in the UFC's eyes.
So I am certainly not criticizing Brock Lesnar, he's gotta do his thing. I am criticizing the Zuffa drug policy that now exists with an asterisk. To me at least. We paid too big of a price for this program not to be legit. We've seen our heroes shrink entire weightclasses, dad-bods littered the octagon, increased injuries, fighters gassing, etc. All that to see something in place that casts doubt on UFC testing?
UFC's completely self-funded anti-doping program they voluntarily created did all that - they still need the ability to sign guys to fight in less than 120 days and they have an exception for that, until mis or over used they get the benefit of the doubt for n other reason than simply because its an exception to their own policy they didn't need to create.
I gave you the "winner" rating because of "bullshittifies".
Just as before, I see most of your point. I don't see how it makes it seem like Zuffa might think that Brock is dirty, though. I think it is pretty clear that they hadn't nailed this down until recently. Sounds totally plausible that there just wasn't 4 months to work with.