Travis Browne Joins UFC 168 Opponent Josh Barnett in WADA-Certified Random Drug Testing

UFC heavyweight fighter Josh Barnett was recently granted a license to fight at UFC 168, but it was granted with conditions stipulated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Barnett faces Travis Browne at UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva II on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas.

The condition attached to Barnett’s license included him agreeing to World Anti-Doping Agency certified random drug testing leading up to the fight and throughout 2014 at the expense of his employer, the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The reasoning for attaching such a stipulation to Barnett’s licensing was due to past drug testing issues he has had in Nevada and California.

To keep the playing field level, however, the Nevada commission also required that Browne undergo the same WADA-certified random drug testing leading up to the fight, also paid for by the UFC.

NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed Browne’s required testing, first reported by MMAJunkie.com, to MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday.

Browne eagerly agreed to the stipulation, his manager, John Fosco of VFD Marketing, told MMAWeekly.com.

“Travis embraces any kind of testing that heightens the level of awareness and contributes to the elimination of PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) in the UFC,” said Fosco. “He is 100-percent on board with participating in this process and he takes comfort in knowing that the NSAC and the UFC alike, take the usage of PEDs seriously.

“He will always happily cooperate in any circumstance that helps heighten the level of awareness of PEDs and contributes to the weeding out of this cancer in professional sports.”

Josh Barnett vs. Travis Browne is one of the major supporting fights to a card that is top-loaded with the UFC middleweight championship rematch between Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva, and another rematch pitting UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey against fellow The Ultimate Fighter coach Miesha Tate.