UFC fighter signs endorsement deal with makers of banned substances

Imagine being one of the best athlete in the world and signing an endorsement with a company whose product is banned in your sports.

That’s exactly what UFC top fighter Holly Holm who signed an endorsement deal with a supplement maker that sells products that have been banned by UFC and deemed illegal by the Food and Drug Administration.

Holm is currently the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship holder after beating .

She recently signed a two-year deal with Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals and has been seen in promotion photos for the company’s product.

In a new ad, Holm is pictured next to five bottled Hi-Tech products, three of which are advertised as containing DMAA, a stimulant the FDA said in 2013 poses potentially serious health risks.

The DMAA is also on the list of substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) who are the UFC’s independent administrator of its doping protocol.

UFC however have revealed that Holm has done nothing wrong by signing the endorsement.

“Holly Holm is a great UFC champion and a role model for the sport of mixed martial arts,’’ UFC said in a statement reported by USA TODAY Sports.

The UFC said that Holm and all other independent-contractor athletes at UFC events are free to accept endorsements and sponsorships from supplement or other companies that don't conflict with their contractual obligations at UFC events.

It is not the first time Holm has been associated with a product that has been banned by the UFC.

During her fight against Rousey, Holm was sponsored by Intel Pharma, a company that has sold products labeled as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMS), considered steroid alternatives and on WADA’s banned substance list.

Watch this video of Holly Holm below: