ACA president Magomed Bubulatov acknowledged in an interview that more fighters in the promotion use performance-enhancing drugs than compete clean. He revealed that fighters taking bouts on short notice are typically the cleanest because they have no time to use substances. Bubulatov stated the promotion has been testing fighters and compiling data on usage, with some consideration given to allowing certain approved supplements. He admitted doping control is expensive and suggested Russian promotions should collaborate on testing, though he doubts it will happen. The league is still deciding how to handle violators, with one-year suspensions being considered.
ACA president Magomed Bubulatov has publicly acknowledged that the majority of fighters competing in his promotion use banned performance-enhancing substances, a candid admission that lays bare the scale of doping inside one of Europe's largest MMA organizations.
In a recent interview, Bubulatov said the data the promotion has gathered through internal testing supports that conclusion. He offered a notable observation alongside the admission: fighters who accept bouts on short notice tend to be among the cleanest in the promotion, simply because they do not have enough time to cycle through prohibited substances before competing.
Bubulatov indicated the organization is still working through how it intends to punish violators, with one-year suspensions among the options under consideration. He also floated the idea of permitting certain approved supplements, though no formal policy appears to have been established yet.
The ACA president was candid about the financial reality of running a robust testing program, describing doping control as expensive and calling for Russian promotions to pool resources and collaborate on testing infrastructure. He conceded, however, that he doubts such cooperation will materialize in practice.
Why it matters
- An admission from a promotion's own president that most fighters are doping is highly unusual and signals a significant internal governance problem.
- The lack of a finalized suspension policy means fighters currently face little certainty about consequences, which could undermine any deterrent effect.
- Bubulatov's call for cross-promotional testing cooperation, if it were ever acted upon, could reshape how anti-doping is handled across Russian MMA more broadly.
- The short-notice fighter observation suggests the promotion may have enough internal data to identify usage patterns, raising questions about why enforcement has not already followed.
