Jeff Novitzky: From taking down Lance Armstrong to cleaning up the UFC

Novitzky (right) congratulates fighters with a commemorative overgarment erstwhile they walk 50 cause tests successful the UFC

When Lance Armstrong admitted to cheating during each 7 of his Tour de France wins successful beforehand of a worldwide tv assemblage successful 2013, it brought mixed emotions for Jeff Novitzky.

Armstrong ne'er faced transgression charges due to the fact that the probe was yet unopen down by the United States Attorney successful Southern California, but the American's confession to US chat amusement big Oprah Winfrey that helium had been doping led to him being stripped of his titles.

Novitzky says nary mentation was fixed for the probe being unopen down, which was "unusual", and speculates that "some benignant of governmental favour" whitethorn person been called in.

"While that was disappointing [the probe being unopen down], yet I deliberation the aforesaid extremity crippled was met and that was, not conscionable the vulnerability of Armstrong and US Postal Cycling Team, but each of nonrecreational cycling and what was truly going connected there," Novitzky tells BBC Sport.

"You look astatine him and portion you whitethorn accidental helium didn't person to wage for it aft the transgression probe was unopen down, I don't deliberation that's accurate.

"He was stripped of each his titles, helium inactive contiguous is considered 1 of the biggest falls from grace successful nonrecreational sports, and helium volition everlastingly person to unrecorded with that legacy."

Novitzky's enactment successful the Armstrong lawsuit played a large portion successful him landing a cardinal relation astatine the UFC successful 2015, wherever the 54-year-old has helped instrumentality 1 of the astir broad anti-doping programmes successful nonrecreational sports.

Novitzky has adopted the nickname the 'Golden Snitch' owed to his relation successful exposing cause cheats, and to this time UFC president Dana White introduces him to radical arsenic "the feline who took down Lance Armstrong".

"I benignant of embraced it [the nickname], and I deliberation a batch of radical admit erstwhile you person a small spot of a consciousness of humour," said Novitzky.

"You know, snitch isn't needfully the champion nickname to have, but astatine slightest it's a aureate one."

'The value of MMA cause investigating exceeds each different sport'

The doping scenery successful the UFC is unrecognisable to what it was 7 years agone erstwhile Novitzky came connected board.

After joining, the UFC hired the United States Anti-doping Agency (Usada) arsenic their autarkic anti-doping agency.

Novitzky says Usada were chosen due to the fact that they "only attraction astir cleanable sport" and "don't attraction astir the occurrence of the UFC, revenue-wise and business-wise".

Usada person afloat power implicit however overmuch fighters are tested and when, and person the powerfulness to trial athletes astatine immoderate time, 365 days a year.

Every UFC combatant has to beryllium signed up to Usada's investigating excavation for six months and supply astatine slightest 2 antagonistic samples earlier they tin compete.

Last year, Usada tested UFC fighters 4,352 times, which is astir treble the 2,289 tests they conducted 1 twelvemonth into the programme successful 2016.

Before Novitzky and Usada's engagement successful the UFC however, athletes were lone subjected to Athletic Commission testing, which would usually instrumentality spot successful the week of a fight, alternatively than each twelvemonth round.

Novitzky says if fighters were reasoning astir cheating, each they had to bash was marque definite immoderate drugs had cleared from their strategy by the clip Athletic Commission investigating came around.

"In this athletics - successful MMA - the value of anti-doping and cause investigating exceeds each different athletics by acold I believe," said Novitzky.

"These are the astir talented martial artists connected the satellite and I deliberation it was inevitable that had things progressed arsenic they were earlier this programme, we were gonna tally into thing truly atrocious wherever idiosyncratic was going to earnestly wounded their opponent."

Novitzky says eliminating the doping civilization successful the UFC has helped turn the popularity of the athletics and brand.

"I deliberation successful galore aspects, whether it's the kits, the instrumentality we're wearing, sponsorship, anti-doping, the extremity erstwhile I came present 8 years agone was to mainstream this sport," helium said.

"We don't privation this to beryllium known arsenic this niche freak sport, we're going to bash what different nonrecreational sports are doing and surely that freak amusement quality of an enhanced athlete, each connected artificial hormones and that, wasn't a look if you're trying to mainstream sport.

"I deliberation determination are galore factors but I bash deliberation [the drugs programme] is simply a contributing origin to the occurrence of this sport."

Novitzky adds that helium has received "overwhelmingly positive" feedback from fighters connected the anti-doping programme.

He says earlier Usada's involvement, galore athletes chose to dope to "level the playing field", arsenic a number were utilizing drugs for enhancement but the remainder didn't privation to beryllium near astatine a disadvantage.

"When I speech to athletes precocious it's that alleviation similar 'I don't person to marque that determination anymore' [to dope]," helium said.

"Most of our fighters spot and realise 'hey, I don't person to interest present astir what I'm doing to support up with my hostile due to the fact that what I'm taxable to. Testers tin travel to my location astatine immoderate clip and my hostile is taxable to that too'."

'Cheaters are ever 1 measurement up - but we've narrowed the gap'

Jon Jones has been stripped of the light-heavyweight rubric doubly for failed drugs tests

Despite the occurrence of its anti-doping programme, the UFC inactive faces galore challenges.

Perhaps the biggest 1 is keeping up with advances successful science, which Novitzky describes arsenic a "cat and mouse" game.

When investigating athletes, substances are lone uncovered erstwhile they are specifically tested for, truthful immoderate imaginable caller oregon altered drugs whitethorn spell undiscovered.

Novitzky says parts of the pharmaceutical industry, oregon radical helium calls "garage chemists", are doing experiments down closed doors, moving connected caller doping techniques each the time.

"Usada realises this, that anti-doping has historically been a reactive process, and they recognize the request for proactivity," said Novitsky.

"One of the things they bash is they interact with the pharmaceutical industry, and they are made alert of caller drugs coming down the pipeline that possibly aren't adjacent yet approved for quality use. That's 1 illustration of the proactivity.

"The quality of the beast is the scientists, the athletes trying to get implicit and cheat are ever going to beryllium a measurement ahead, but I bash judge precocious the spread is narrowing."

Novitzky points to Usada's biologic passport programme arsenic different illustration of narrowing that gap.

The programme keeps records of reactions successful athlete's bodies which drugs tin induce, specified arsenic raised cholesterin oregon liver enzyme levels, truthful adjacent if a circumstantial cause whitethorn stay undiscovered, the effects it has connected the assemblage would beryllium detected and investigated further by Usada officials.

'I don't get overmuch joyousness retired of it'

Some of the astir high-profile fighters to beryllium caught doping by Usada successful the UFC see erstwhile champions Jon Jones and TJ Dillashaw.

Ex-light-heavyweight rubric holder Jones has served 2 suspensions successful 2016 and 2018 respectively for failed drugs tests, portion erstwhile bantamweight champion Dillashaw was banned for 2 years successful 2019.

More recently, Bobby Green, who headlined a combat paper successful February against presently lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, was banned for six months past July for investigating affirmative for Dehydroepiandrosterone.

Novitzky says helium experiences a "mixed bag" of emotions erstwhile a combatant tests positive.

"When you drawback idiosyncratic intentionally cheating, that's the intent of this programme, but I don't get overmuch joyousness retired of it," helium said.

"When I spot these affirmative tests travel successful I bespeak inwards, saying 'what did I not bash close to person this jock that if they were going to spell down this road, they were going to get caught'?"

"And so, I'm ne'er clapping oregon jumping for joy, I deliberation the disappointment broadside acold outweighs the restitution broadside of this."

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