ACA president Magomed Bubulatov made candid revelations about performance-enhancing drug use in the promotion during an interview. He stated that more fighters use banned substances than compete clean, and that fighters accepting bouts on short notice are typically clean because they haven't had time to use anything. Bubulatov acknowledged the league is uncertain how to handle PED users going forward. He explained that implementing comprehensive drug testing is extremely expensive and suggested Russian promotions should unite to address the issue, though he considers this unlikely. The ACA had given fighters six months to clear their systems and allowed certain permitted substances, but testing revealed widespread violations with clean fighters primarily being last-minute replacements.
