UFC remains steadfast in Cung Le's test result, but lab failed to meet WADA criteria

A company in Hong Kong’s southern Yau Tsim Mong District is at the forefront of Cung Le’s dispute with the UFC over drug testing.

The Hong Kong Functional Medical Testing Center (HKFMTC) resides in Hong Kong’s southern Yau Tsim Mong District, about an hour’s ferry ride from the Macau’s Cotai Arena where August’s UFC Fight Night 48 was held.

The company’s website offers to test your metabolic function, examine hair for heavy metals or nails for drugs of abuse, for example. It also offers a service called “autism medical testing.” The company opened its doors in February, according to an online records search, and recently put out a job posting for its marketing department.

Following the Aug. 23 event, a phlebotomist hired by the UFC took blood samples from headliners Cung Le and Michael Bisping immediately after their fight and shipped them to the HKFMTC, the promotion told MMAjunkie. More than one month later, on Sept. 30, the promotion announced that Le tested positive for elevated levels of human growth hormone. Le countered with a statement of innocence and questioned the methods used to test him.

It’s unclear how the HKFMTC tested the samples, and the UFC declined to answer any additional questions on the procedures used in connection with the event. On the drug testing firm’s website, there is no specific mention of testing for human growth hormone, though the company does offer a test of the endocrine system including “growth factor analysis.” It’s certain, though, that HKFMTC is not accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which sets guidelines used for HGH testing. The nearest WADA-accredited lab is in Beijing, a four-hour flight from Macau.

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The UFC repeatedly has voiced its support for the anti-doping measures taken by state athletic commissions. This past year, it began bankrolling out-of-competition testing. But in hiring the Hong Kong company to look for HGH, the promotion failed to adhere to the testing standards recognized by the commissions it intends to follow.

WADA’s protocols on HGH testing are intended for WADA-accredited labs, which are utilized by the Nevada, California, and the New Jersey athletic commissions, among others. In order to attain such accreditation, the labs must demonstrate their ability to perform the complex procedure involved in finding HGH and must follow strict procedures set by the regulatory body in the collection and testing of blood samples needed to find the drug. There are also defined steps for adverse findings and what happens when results are challenged.

Notably, the protocol advises that drug samples should be frozen in the case where an athlete wants a sample retested. It also advises that HGH testing be done out of competition to keep the element of surprise.

After a long negotiation with the player’s union, the NFL this week began testing for HGH and has tasked for the job the WADA-accredited UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, which has handled testing for the league since 2006. The lab also is utilized by the California State Athletic Commission, which intends to ramp up anti-doping efforts along with the Nevada commission, on which several UFC executives served prior to their tenure with the fight promotion.

According to Le’s rep, Gary Ibarra, the UFC told him a retest of Le’s blood sample was impossible because it had been destroyed. Ibarra said the fighter’s next step is undetermined.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 48, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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