The Doggy Bag: Helluva Drug Edition

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Every week, the UFC is showing more signs of trouble. How much more before the company cracks and it crumble down? To me, it is suspicious that they cancel the out-of-competition drug tests and say because of Cung Le. To me, it's because they know about Jon Jones and other fighters like him. It doesn't add up. I think this whole situation is going to become an even bigger scandal, and 2015 will be the year they save the promotion, or realize it can't be salvaged. The first step is that they must get rid of Dana White. He's done his job to promote the company for years, but now he is more harm than good, and not what they UFC needs. -- Rit from Parts Unknown

C.J. Tuttle, associate editor: In an age when commissioners, presidents and other positions of power hide behind a veil of secrecy, it’s refreshing to have a figurehead like UFC President Dana White be as prominent and forthright as he is, even if it’s hard to bear sometimes.

The point being, yes, the UFC is definitely at a crossroads with some of the issues that have been plaguing the sport for years and will be judged by how well such situations are handled. But having someone like White at the helm can help to dispel the snowball effect that silence and the unknown can bring.

Look no further than Roger Goodell of the NFL and the way he handled multiple instances this year with the old adage of “mum’s the word.” White has taken a step back from the limelight, by eliminating post-fight scrums and handling less of the press conference duties, but the beauty of his role within the company is hearing his take and what is being done to rectify issues.

Sure, White isn’t always the best orator or entirely truthful, and he does backtrack on many of his comments, but he also lets the general public in on things that many other executives would simply dodge or ignore altogether.

Furthermore, suggesting the UFC is going to “crumble” in 2015 seems a bit short-sighted, especially with the growth in certain sectors that it’s experiencing as of late. Yes, the class action lawsuit brought against the promotion is not the best of scenarios, drug tests are a sore subject for all of combat sports and I do think the product has been watered down by simply too many events and meaningless fights. Nonetheless, the UFC has cornered a market that has shown its ability to succeed in the sports landscape, even if it’s a niche one.

The deal with Reebok, drawing power of its elite fighters, and just how quickly things would need to go into a tailspin fast lead me to believe that the UFC and Mr. Dana White are going to be around for quite some time.

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