Schaub suggests USADA should just ‘post fake testing’

The former UFC heavyweight says he’d rather have USADA just fake the tests than keep on treating some athletes different than others.

At the date of writing, it’s August 21st, 2018 and Jon Jones has exactly one recorded drug test in the USADA database for the year. The former light heavyweight champion has been riding the pine since July of 2017, when his KO win over Daniel Cormier was overturned to a ‘No Contest’ following the revelation that Jones had tested positive for the banned substance Turinabol in samples taken from a pre-fight drug screening.

Since then, Jones’ case has stood unresolved as both he and USADA gather evidence and prepare to decide upon a final sentencing. This being Jones’ second drug test failure, he could be facing as much as a four-year suspension.

It is perhaps, then, a little surprising that Jones isn’t at the top of the list of athletes that the agency wants to hold under constant supervision. UFC anti-doping czar Jeff Novitzky has himself, in the past, admitted that the ‘random’ testing performed by USADA operated alongside pertinent information to test some athletes more often than others. So, why not Jones?

That’s the question that former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub is asking. In a recent episode of his Below the Belt podcast, he took the organization to task for what he perceives to be an unequal treatment of athletes, based largely around the failure to keep a closer eye on Jones (transcript via MMA Fighting).

“Of course [Daniel Cormier]’s gonna pass the tests,” Schaub said. “Of course they have to test the athletes, of course they have to test certain guys, but does no one find it kind of sketchy that the guy who we know 100 percent is going to pass the test, gets tested more than the guy who is known for failing tests?! And I’m not even a conspiracy theory guy. But does no one think this is fucking strange? How crazy is that?

“Or how Holly Holm is tested all the time. They have to check boxes. We know for a fact, DC and Holly Holm are never gonna fail a test. So if you test them relentlessly, we can go on your site and go, ‘Fuck, look, they’re doing their job.’ But when you look at people who are skeptical, and they’re not getting tested, do you not think anything’s up here?”

However, the equity that Schaub really seems to be looking for here is not that USADA go after Jones just as hard as they do some of the other notable fighters on their roster. Instead, he’d rather see just the reverse. Fake the results if they have to, but get hardline drug testing out of the sport.

“Again, I don’t want you guys to catch Jon or DC or anyone doing anything,” Schaub said, speaking of his disinterest in seeing PED users caught. “Don’t ruin my sport. You already fucked it up enough. Just don’t test him. Or post fake testing. Just say you tested Jon, I don’t give a fuck. But don’t say you tested him once out of the year and you test DC 11 [times] and tell us you’re doing your job.”

It’s a stance that would likely be an incredibly hard sell to a large portion of the fanbase, who appreciate at least the feeling of an even playing field – and for many athletes looking for assurances of the same. But, Schaub’s take may become more appealing over time, as familiar faces continue to have large chunks of their careers sidelined and, occasionally, end up with arguably different outcomes as a result of dealing with the agency.