ACA President Magomed Babulatov revealed candid insights about doping in Russian MMA during an interview. He stated that more fighters in the league use banned substances than compete clean, and that fighters accepting bouts on short notice tend to be the cleanest because they haven't had time to use anything. Babulatov explained that ACA gave fighters six months to clean their systems and allowed some therapeutic substances, but testing showed violations remain common. He indicated the league is considering one-year suspensions for violators but noted that comprehensive testing is financially prohibitive unless Russian promotions unite, which he considers unlikely.
Magomed Babulatov, president of the Absolute Championship Akhmat, offered a strikingly candid assessment of doping in Russian mixed martial arts, stating publicly that the majority of fighters competing under the ACA banner are using banned substances rather than competing clean.
Speaking in a recent interview, Babulatov said the organization gave competitors a six-month window to clear prohibited substances from their systems and permitted the use of certain therapeutic compounds during that period. Despite those allowances, he said, testing has continued to reveal widespread violations.
One of the more pointed observations Babulatov offered was that fighters who accept bouts on short notice tend to be among the cleanest in the league, not because of any particular commitment to fair play, but simply because they have not had adequate time to use performance-enhancing drugs before competing.
Why it matters
- The admission from a sitting promotion president represents an unusually transparent acknowledgment of systemic doping within a major regional MMA organization.
- Babulatov indicated ACA is weighing one-year suspensions for violators, a policy shift that could reshape the competitive landscape if implemented.
- Meaningful enforcement is complicated by cost: Babulatov described comprehensive testing as financially prohibitive for a single promotion, and suggested that a coordinated effort across Russian MMA organizations would be necessary to make it work.
- He considered that kind of inter-promotional cooperation unlikely, leaving the doping problem without a clear institutional solution in the near term.
The remarks put ACA in the unusual position of publicly quantifying a problem most organizations prefer to minimize, while simultaneously acknowledging limited capacity to address it.
