All UFC fighters are required to give samples for drug testing by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) at anytime in any day.
Dan Ige is one of the fighters who must give USADA a sample for drug testing, but Ige recently accidentally gave a blood test to somebody who wasn’t from USADA.
“Pretty typical – wake-up call, 6:30 a.m., I hear my doorbell ringing,” Ige told MMA Junkie. “They rung it like eight times, too. I’m like getting up, getting dressed, walking to the door. I open the door, and it’s one lady. She was by herself. She’s like, ‘Oh, we’re here to take your blood. I was like, ‘OK, come on in.' I’m like half-asleep, you know? I just think it’s USADA. They’re showing up, doing their job. I didn’t even question or think anything else, you know? So they took my blood. They took a lot. They took like three or four big vials, so I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a lot of blood,’ and they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re just doing your labs.’ So I’m thinking, ‘My labs? Uh, OK. Well, is there any paperwork we’ve got to do?’ They’re like, ‘Oh, no. No paperwork. Everything is digital. Let me just write down your name.’ I was like, ‘OK, last name Ige, first name Dan.’ And they actually said, ‘John.’ They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re not John. I’m like, ‘No, I’m not John. Who are you trying to reach?' So these people, they don’t even work for USADA. They showed up, took my blood, went to the wrong house, had the wrong person, took my blood, and I don’t even know. What are the odds and the coincidence? If I was anyone else, just like a regular person, someone came to test my blood, of course I would be like, ‘Who are you? I didn’t order blood tests. What are you doing here?’ Just the odds that I do get subject to testing at all times. I didn’t even question that. The crazy thing is they still have my blood. I told them to get out of my house, and then they take my blood. It’s insane. I don’t know.”
Ige and UFC Vice President Of Athlete Health & Performance Jeff Novitzky would have the following exchange on the matter via Twitter:
So pissed off someone came over this morning I thought it was @usantidoping @USADA_UFC they took my blood and everything and come to find out these people went to the wrong house address and did not work for usada WTF!!!!! ------
— Dan Ige (@Dynamitedan808) April 18, 2019
I’m so mad, and sure of this is my fault... When someone rings your doorbell six times at 6:30 AM saying they’re here to take your blood I was just cooperating thinking it’s USADA now I probably have aids
— Dan Ige (@Dynamitedan808) April 18, 2019
Understandable that this process can become routine and at 630am you can be in a daze. But a good reminder to UFC athletes that USADA DCO’s carry credentials that they should show you and you should verify before submitting to any sample collection.
— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) April 18, 2019
Yeah well hopefully other athletes can learn from my situation. And hopefully I don’t have any clones.
— Dan Ige (@Dynamitedan808) April 18, 2019
The UFC has been in contact with Dan this morning, and while it looks like this sample collection was intended for a neighbor and completely unrelated to USADA or the UFC, we advised Dan to contact law enforcement and we will support Dan to track down the details of this mistake.
— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) April 18, 2019
There has been no comment from USADA on the matter.
