A recent podcast appearance by UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis sparked immediate controversy when the MMA star claimed the organization had supplied him with peptides that transformed his training camp.
However, UFC senior vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky quickly moved to correct the record before Lewis’s upcoming bout at UFC 324.
During an episode of The Beast and the Cowboy podcast, Lewis enthusiastically discussed what he believed were peptides provided by the UFC.
“I ain’t going to even lie to you. I’m in the best shape of my life right now. Mentally, physically, everything’s going great right now. I’m perfect. The UFC provided me with some great peptides and I’ve been taking it every day and I’ve been feeling the difference,”
Lewis stated.
His coach, Bob Perez, supported these observations with specific examples from recent training sessions.
Like dude I was so proud of Derek today. Dude, he was a () video game yesterday. He was a video game. He was responding like so his mental clarity I’m not just saying this mental clarity was on. So I’d make a call or an adjustment. He would do it immediately,”
Perez explained.
The coach elaborated on the remarkable recovery improvements, describing one particular training session:
“His recovery was… very fast. Yeah. So he did his three fives and then you know generally on Fridays you know it’s the lightest day. He’ll go into strength and conditioning after that but he wanted to do some heavy bag work after and I was like please like let’s go and I was really mind blown how quickly the peptides took effect you know. It’s going to be a game changer for him,”
Perez continued.
The problem with Lewis’s claims became immediately apparent to those familiar with UFC WADA regulations. Peptides, which consist of amino acid chains that assist with cellular repair processes, fall squarely under restricted according to the UFC’s policy and athletic commission regulations.
Novitzky addressed the confusion directly on social media platform X, clarifying the situation in no uncertain terms.
“UFC did NOT provide Derrick Lewis with peptides. Peptides are prohibited at all times under UFC and athletic commissions’ rules. Derrick is referring to injectable compounds that are 3rd party tested and certified as ALLOWED AT ALL TIMES “
Novitzky wrote.
The clarification suggests that Lewis and his team may have misidentified the legal supplements they received.
Regardless of the naming confusion, Lewis and his coaching staff remain convinced that the properly certified supplements have provided tangible benefits during this training camp. Perez provided additional context about expectations versus results:
“Coach Hollywood, you know, how long did I asked him how long does it usually take? And he was like, well, it could be a couple weeks. And you know, he hasn’t been on it that long. But if this is just like an indication, any indication of what we’re going to see, it’s () good,”
Perez said.
This case highlights how inappropriate it is for the UFC to be both the promotion and regulating body for its’ athletes.
