How Drug Free Sport International Tests Fighters
Drug Free Sport International (DFSI) is the UFC’s biological sample collection and shipping provider. The arrangement is part of the UFC Anti-Doping Program introduced at the end of 2023 and put into operation in 2024, following the promotion’s decision to end its partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Collection and program administration are separate
DFSI and its contracted affiliates collect and ship athletes’ biological samples, including through no-notice testing. Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) independently administers the program, including results management and sanction decisions. The roles are distinct: DFSI handles sample collection logistics, while CSAD oversees the policy and case process.
The UFC announced the structure in December 2023, ahead of the transition to the new program in 2024.
What the change means
Under the current structure, sample collection is carried out by DFSI while program administration sits with CSAD. UFC materials describe the policy as operating year-round and applying to UFC athletes. For details on testing, prohibited substances, results and sanctions, readers should consult the program’s official policy and case updates.
Who collects, tests and rules on samples
The program divides those responsibilities among separate organizations. Drug Free Sport International (DFSI) arranges and carries out sample collection; it is not the body that determines whether an athlete violated the policy. UFC’s program materials describe an independent administrator, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), handling results management and potential sanctions, while samples are analyzed by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory. The UFC’s program announcement outlines these roles, and the official program overview provides the governing documents.
That separation helps explain why collection, laboratory analysis and adjudication should not be described as one step. A sample may be collected during or outside competition, analyzed for substances on the current prohibited list, then reviewed under the policy’s procedures. If a potential violation is reported, the athlete has rights under the program rules and the case can proceed through the stated review or arbitration process. Readers looking for a specific case should check the official test history and notices rather than infer an outcome from the fact that a sample was taken. The program’s published rules also explain therapeutic use exemptions and how supplements are treated; those details matter because a positive analytical result is assessed under the policy, not in isolation.
Sources: UFC’s announcement of the program structure; UFC Athlete Health and Performance; UFC Anti-Doping Program overview.
