“Everything can be negotiated,” Penn said. “I would even suggest to VADA if you want me to pay for it – because they’re doing the sponsorship thing – if I pay for it, can we release the results after the fight? I’ve expressed this many times to Victor Conte, who is one of the people who is heavily involved with VADA.

“My hands are tied. I’m not trying to put any pressure on the people who are trying to make me money, but if Dana White doesn’t get paid, B.J. Penn doesn’t get paid.”

Anti-doping supporters, including MMAjunkie.com’s own Dr. Johnny Benjamin, contend that manipulating VADA’s process essentially undermines the integrity of the entire program.

“If every time a fight comes up it becomes ‘Let’s Make a Deal,’ the process becomes tainted very quickly and not worth the time or effort,” Benjamin recently wrote in his “Ask the Fight Doc” column. “How will your opponent or regulating bodies know you didn’t cut some sort of preferential deal?”

Penn realizes his offer isn’t the ultimate finish line for drug-testing in the sport, but he also believes it could be an important step in the right direction, leading the UFC and VADA to develop a mutually beneficial relationship. In short, testing results would not jeopardize the UFC 152 matchup, but Penn and MacDonald could provide high-profile guinea pigs for both VADA and the UFC to familiarize themselves with each other.

As such, Penn hopes VADA will at least consider his idea in hopes that it could someday result in a more in-depth testing procedure for all MMA fighters, especially in markets like Toronto where the Ontario Athletic Commission has previously passed the responsibility on to promoters.

“As of now, with the VADA thing, we’re just kind of at a little bit of a standstill because I know this is a professional sport,” Penn said. “From what I understand, Toronto doesn’t even have a policy if you test positive for steroids. I doubt there will even be a steroid test when we get there. So as far as I know, who knows what’s going to be standing across the ring from you? Is it going to be a regular man or Superman? You don’t know.”

read entire article…