Titan Fighting Championship 53 was supposed to be headlined by a flyweight championship bout between Juan Puerta and Gastavo Balart, but Puerta would fail a drug test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the Florida State Boxing Commission (FSBC) would cancel the main event bout moments before the fighters were supposed to enter the cage.
The FSBC received a lot of flack for how they handled the situation, but the commission has already opted to make changes to the zero tolerance policy in regard to cannabinoids. The change is that the commission will handle drug test failures that reflect the international standards for handling such matters.
UFC Vice President Of Athlete Health & Performance Jeff Novitzky has heard about the change and has offered some praise to the commission.
“You have to give them credit for getting up to the world standard and being able to implement that on the fly,” Novitzky said to MMA Junkie. “It is very good news, and I’m very happy to see that reasonable decision.”
Puerta is still indefinitely suspended for the failed drug test and it is unknown at this time as to what other punishment the fighter can face.
One huge reason that the UFC was concerned with the zero tolerance policy was that the promotion is running an event in the state of Florida next month.
