UFC 184's Ronda Rousey weighs in on promotion's new drug-testing plans

Ronda Rousey

A new era starts in July for the UFC when it comes to drug testing.

UFC President Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta made their company announcement today, and while some of the details are yet to be decided, it appears the direction is toward random out-of-competition testing across the board.

It’s a decision that is more than welcomed by arguably the UFC’s biggest star, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, an Olympic medalist who is no stranger to tough drug testing.

“I’m extremely encouraged of what I heard the announcement is,” Rousey said today during a media call promoting next week’s UFC 184. “The drug testing I underwent at 16, or even 14, was much more stringent than the drug testing that I got as a champion in MMA.”

Rousey (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) headlines UFC 184 against Cat Zingano (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Feb. 28 at Staples Center in her home base of Los Angeles. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The UFC has yet to announced which third-party testing agency it will partner with, but Rousey believes however it winds up, it’s for the benefit of the sport.

“Now that they’ve started the random out-of-competition drug testing for everybody on the roster, as well as everybody that competes on every card, it really is going to start to be comparable to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency,” she said. “I really think USADA is an extremely great model to follow, and I’m also very happy to see there’s going to be third-party testing, as well. The more testing there is, the better it is because the fighters will be safer.”

Rousey is unbeaten in MMA and only has gone out of the first round one time. In her most recent pair of title defenses, she finished fights with first-round knockouts – after eight straight wins by her signature armbar.

For more on UFC 184, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.