Independent firm to drug test 144 fighters unconfirmed claimed 15,000 tix sold

The UFC has retained an independent drug-testing laboratory to screen fighters for performance-enhancing drugs and drugs of abuse later this month at UFC 144 in Japan.

The event's headliners – lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and challenger Ben Henderson – will be tested along with six to eight random competitors on the fight card, a source close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Approximately 15,000 tickets have been sold for the show, the source said.

UFC 144 takes place Feb. 25 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event's main card airs live stateside on pay-per-view. The preliminary card is expected to air on FX.

A light-heavyweight bout between former champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Ryan Bader serves as the co-main event, and a handful of Japanese fighters also are booked for the card.

The UFC frequently hires outside firms to conduct drug testing for international shows, where athletic commissions often aren't available.

UFC 144 is the organization's first event held in Japan since UFC 29, which took place in December 2000 when the fight promotion was under the control of its former owners, Semaphore Entertainment Group.

I trust Tadashi Tanaka on the ticket sales for this so called japanese zuffa show. Junkie could not even list their so called source for the claimed 15,000 tickets sold.

ZuffaKiller wrote:I trust Tadashi Tanaka on the ticket sales for this so called japanese zuffa show. Junkie could not even list their so called source for the claimed 15,000 tickets sold.

Yeah I think Tanaka is right. Zuffa are not very popular among the fans. Smart move to use Rampage on the card, they should use as many PRIDE fighters as possible.