ACA President Magomed Bubulatov made candid statements about doping in the promotion during an interview. He revealed that more fighters test positive for banned substances than test clean. Bubulatov noted that fighters taking bouts on short notice are typically clean because "they didn't have time to apply anything." He acknowledged that handling the doping issue remains unclear and that doping control is an expensive undertaking that would require collaboration among all Russian promotions, which he considers unlikely. The ACA gave fighters six months to clear their systems and allowed certain therapeutic substances when they first implemented testing. Bubulatov indicated he wanted to suspend violators for one year but the promotion is still deliberating on the approach.
ACA President Magomed Bubulatov has made a striking admission about the state of doping inside his promotion, revealing in a recent interview that the number of fighters testing positive for banned substances actually exceeds the number who test clean.
Bubulatov's candid remarks lay bare a doping culture that he acknowledges the organization has yet to find an effective way to address. He offered one telling observation: fighters who accept bouts on short notice tend to come back clean, because, in his words, they did not have time to apply anything. The implication is that those with a full training camp have a window to use and then attempt to clear prohibited substances before testing.
The ACA president noted that meaningful doping control would require coordinated action across all Russian MMA promotions, a level of cooperation he considers unlikely to materialize. He described the financial cost of comprehensive testing as a significant obstacle on its own.
Why it matters
- The admission that a majority of tested fighters return positive results suggests the problem is systemic rather than isolated.
- Bubulatov indicated he favors one-year suspensions for violators, but the promotion has not yet settled on a formal disciplinary framework.
- When the ACA first introduced testing, it gave fighters a six-month grace period to clear their systems and permitted certain therapeutic substances, a lenient start that may have shaped the current culture.
- The lack of a unified Russian MMA anti-doping body leaves individual promotions without the infrastructure or leverage to enforce consistent standards.
Bubulatov's public candor is unusual in combat sports governance, but his remarks also underscore that acknowledging a problem and solving it are very different things. The promotion remains without a clear timetable or policy to bring its testing results closer to the clean side of the ledger.
