Shane Burgos Cites USADA As A Reason He Re-Signed With The UFC

Shane Burgos last competed at UFC 244, which would’ve been the fighter’s last bout with the promotion until he re-signed with the UFC earlier this year.

One of the biggest factors that led to Burgos re-signing with the UFC was the UFC’s partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

“It’s a four-fight deal,” Burgos told MMA Junkie. “I turned down a nice offer from another promotion for even more money just because I wanted to stay in the UFC. A big thing for me, and I don’t express this too much, but the reason why I want to stay in the UFC – it’s because of USADA. A lot of promotions, their drug testing is too lenient and it’s easy to get away with (things). As much as USADA is a nuisance, it makes it harder for the cheaters to cheat. I know there are guys that are still getting away with it, which sucks. But you’re going to have the least amount of cheaters in the UFC. I truly believe that. Outside the UFC, it’s a free-for-all because you know when you’re going to get tested. So I turned down an offer for a decent amount of money so I can stay in the UFC. But I’m more than happy with the deal the UFC gave me. I’m going to be getting paid good.”

Burgos has already gone 6-1-0 in the UFC, with notable wins coming over Charles Rosa, Godofredo Pepey, Kurt Holobaugh and Cub Swanson. 

The fighter is happy to have re-signed with the UFC, but Burgos wishes the whole process would’ve taken a little quicker than it did.

“It went a little longer than I expected, so that kind of sucked,” Burgos said. “I wanted to fight early March – that way I wouldn’t have had to deal with all the corona(virus) (expletive). It was fun, but after three months of not having a deal done, I was like, ‘OK, this (expletive) is getting old – (I) just want a deal.’ I signed with First Round Management, and that was a huge part in getting this done and getting this UFC deal. Business-wise, I think it’s a smart decision. Why not test it? It gives you an idea of how much you’re really worth, too, so that’s good and I think all fighters should try it.”

There is no word yet as to when Burgos will return to action, but the fighter sits at #10 in the UFC Featherweight Division rankings.