Hendricks' camp: Reps for UFC champ St-Pierre refused NSAC-approved WADA testing

It appears UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will proceed with enhanced drug testing conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) for his title defense against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.

St-Pierre also will be tested, possibly in and out of competition, by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversees the Nov. 16 pay-per-view event.

Hendricks, on the other hand, will participate in the NSAC’s testing, but not with VADA, after St-Pierre’s camp hedged on participating in an enhanced testing program recently approved by the NSAC.

Hendricks’ manager, Ted Ehrhardt, is suspicious about VADA testing after he discovered that the association is footing the bill of St-Pierre’s tests, which contradicts the champ’s earlier claim that he would pay for the two of them.

“GSP’s had a black cloud over him for years (with) people thinking he’s on HGH (human growth hormone) or whatever they think he’s on, and I think he’s trying to clear his name, and we just happen to be the fight that he’s doing it,” Ehrhardt told MMAjunkie.com.

The manager said a recent report that Hendricks declined to enroll in VADA was an attempt to make Hendricks look bad despite St-Pierre’s camp choice not to undergo out-of-competition testing conducted by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited lab.

“Probably if we had something to hide, it would bother us more,” Ehrhardt said. “But we know we’re clean; we’re good. You test Johny, and the only thing he’s going to test positive for is high cholesterol because he eats fast food.”

UFC 167, which takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, serves as the promotion’s 20th anniversary show and is expected to do big business with top PPV St-Pierre in its headliner.

The welterweight fight marks St-Pierre’s ninth title defense. Hendricks (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who’s won his past six bouts, was passed over for a title shot in March when St-Pierre (24-2 MMA, 18-2 UFC) chose the controversial Nick Diaz as his next opponent.

Both St-Pierre or Hendricks have repeatedly been drug tested by athletic commissions, yet neither has ever popped positive for banned substances. Their camps, however, went separate ways on testing approximately one month ago. The split followed a conference call to discuss the possibility of using a testing program for the welterweight title fight, NSAC Executive Director Kizer told MMAjunkie.com.

The UFC set up the call with the fighters’ managers, trainer Firas Zahabi, UFC officials and Kizer on the basis that St-Pierre said he would pay for additional screening, Kizer said. The promotion had approached the NSAC about the program after hearing the commission would use it in advance of a WBO title bout between welterweight champ Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez on Oct. 12 in Las Vegas, Kizer said.

The program, which was detailed by the NSAC during the call, is run by a WADA-accredited lab in Salt Lake City. The NSAC currently employs out-of-competition testing, but the new lab moves closer to what Kizer calls “enhanced drug testing,” or what many say is Olympic-style testing.

In Bradley and Marquez’s case, promoter Top Rank agreed to pay the costs associated with random tests and have the results forwarded to the NSAC. In St-Pierre and Hendricks’ case, however, it was undecided who would foot the bill on the WADA program, which the commission doesn’t cover, Kizer said.

The two sides split on who would pay for the testing. St-Pierre’s camp expressed a preference to use VADA, which they said had agreed to partially pay for costs, according to Kizer. But Hendricks’ camp balked at the idea of their opponent partnering with a drug testing body that was supposed to be independent, and they favored the WADA program.

When informed of the WADA program’s cost, St-Pierre’s camp said they preferred to use VADA.

“I made it quite clear that if you guys want to do additional testing on your own, that’s fine,” Kizer said. “But if you’re serious about it and you’re not looking to hire someone yourself to do it, I said, ‘This is how you do it. We’re happy to help you help us, but that’s a decision you need to make because you need to fund it.’”

Kizer, however, also was concerned when St-Pierre’s reps asked questions about the list of substances the WADA program tests for, in addition to when the drug tests would be conducted and who would conduct them.

“They were asking, ‘Well, what do you test for?’ My answer is always the same: We test for prohibited substances as listed on the WADA list,” Kizer said. “(They said), ‘Well, what does that mean? Does that mean HGH, does that mean this, does that mean that?’ Yes, it means it all. The answer then should have been, ‘OK.’”

After more discussion, St-Pierre’s rep, whom Kizer identified as the fighter’s lawyer, Rodolphe Beaulieu, stood firm on using VADA.

“OK, fine, use VADA,” Kizer said of his response. “That’s not the question. The question is do you want to do outside testing through the athletic commission? And basically, they said we want to know all the tests you do so Georges’ medical advisors can vet the test first before we decide.

“I said, ‘I will take that as a no. We will let you know if we’re going to do any testing on our own. Goodbye.’”

Kizer said Beaulieu then tried to backtrack by saying St-Pierre wasn’t opposed to the WADA program.

“The guy actually had the gall – this Rodolphe guy – (to say), ‘Well, no, that’s not what we meant. We’re happy to do it once we get this additional information, but I’m going to be done for the next seven days, and I’m unavailable via cell phone or email.’ It’s like, whatever dude. It was so ridiculous. But I don’t hold any of that against Georges St-Pierre. As far as I know, he doesn’t even know about these things.”

Beaulieu couldn’t be reached for comment. When asked whether St-Pierre turned down the WADA program, his longtime trainer, Firas Zahabi, wrote via text, “Sorry, I’m not up to date on the details.”

Kizer, though, is keeping close track of them when it comes to enforcing the rules, particularly in advance of such a big fight.

“I don’t know if it’s just his people being overly aggressive, or trying to act as agents of VADA – I have no clue, and I don’t care,” Kizer said. “But when an athlete’s representative is basically saying, ‘Well, he’s interested in perhaps doing enhanced testing, but we need to know – and more importantly, his medical advisors need to know – all the ins and outs of the testing before he’ll agree to it,’ that’s a no. That’s a refusal, and that’s fine.

“Fighters are able to do this testing (from VADA). But I’m not looking to being used in this pissing match with these athletes saying, ‘I’m going to do this enhanced testing. If my opponent doesn’t, that means he’s dirty.’ No, it doesn’t. If they want to play those games, that’s between them. I’m not going to take any sides. Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks have both been great licensees in the past. I expect them to be great licensees in the future. But they definitely both will be tested by the commission. How often, and when, is up to us.”

Ehrhardt, meanwhile, said that after waiting so long for a title shot, Hendricks simply wants St-Pierre ready to put his gold on the line in Las Vegas on Nov. 16.

“We have nothing to hide and nothing to prove,” he said. “(Extra) testing does us no good because if GSP does fail, he doesn’t get to fight. We can’t get the belt. So we have everything to lose, nothing to gain here. All we want to do is make sure GSP shows up with the belt.”

For more on UFC 167, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Johny Hendricks)