ACA President Magomedov Bibulatov has candidly discussed doping in his promotion, stating that more fighters use banned substances than compete clean. He revealed that short-notice fighters are typically the cleanest, implying they "don't have time to use anything." The promotion implemented a six-month clean-up period and conducts testing, but Bibulatov acknowledged the challenge of enforcement. He stated that doping control is expensive and suggested Russian promotions should collaborate on testing, though he doubts this will happen. Bibulatov is considering a one-year suspension for violators but hasn't decided whether to publicly release lists of fighters who test positive. He admitted the promotion alone cannot solve Russia's PED problem without industry-wide cooperation.
ACA President Magomedov Bibulatov has made a striking admission about the state of doping inside his promotion, acknowledging that the majority of fighters competing under the ACA banner use banned performance-enhancing substances rather than compete clean.
Speaking candidly on the subject, Bibulatov offered an unusual observation about short-notice replacements: fighters stepping in on little preparation time tend to be among the cleanest in the organization, simply because they do not have the opportunity to use anything before the contest.
The ACA president said the promotion has already implemented a six-month clean-up period and conducts its own testing program, but he was direct about the limits of what enforcement can realistically achieve. Doping control is expensive, he noted, and the financial burden makes comprehensive testing difficult to sustain for a single organization.
Why it matters
- Bibulatov's admission is among the most candid public statements from a major MMA promotion president on the scale of PED use within his roster
- He is weighing a one-year suspension for fighters who test positive, though no final policy has been announced
- He has not committed to publicly releasing the names of violators, leaving transparency questions unresolved
- Bibulatov argued that solving the problem requires industry-wide cooperation among Russian promotions, but expressed doubt that such collaboration will materialize
The acknowledgment that no single promotion can address Russia's broader PED problem without collective action reflects a structural challenge the sport has long faced in regions where centralized, independent testing bodies do not operate. Without that coordination, Bibulatov suggested, the promotion's internal efforts will remain limited in their overall impact.
