Rizin Fighting Federation, the upstart mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion headed by former PRIDE boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara, will make its combat sports debut next week with its eight-man heavyweight tournament, as well as the return of heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko.
Don't worry, none of the participating fighters will be jacked up on performance-enhancing drugs.
That's according to Emelianenko, who faces Jaideep Singh in the main event of the promotion's Dec. 31 fight card taking place inside Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan (more on that here).
"We will have strict control," the former WAMMA champ informed Championat (via Bloody Elbow). "Before and after the fight we are rendering analysis. [Rizin] demanded from us a list of drugs that we have taken during training camp. Even in the contract, clauses have been provided in the case of a positive doping test."
See? Nothing to worry about.
Fighters who used to compete under the now-defunct PRIDE banner often spoke openly about the promotion's steroid loophole (sample). As a result, current insiders (like this guy) have been known to question select legacies in "The Land of the Rising Sun."
And not just for drugs.
To see who else is competing at the two-day Rizin extravaganza click here.