'It's Time' - UFC and Aurora Cannabis Officially Join Forces to Advance CBD Science on Athletes

New Research Partnership to Support Formulation of Safe & Reliable CBD Sports Products Backed by Science

Aurora Cannabis (TSX: ACB) (NYSE: ACB) and the world’s top mixed martial arts (MMA) organization UFC followed up their May 21, 2019, announcement and have officially launched their ground-breaking research partnership. The joint clinical research program was created to study and advance the science of hemp-derived CBD products used by UFC athletes.

The new research program is expected to produce multiple studies and will specifically be looking to examine the effects CBD has on inflammation, pain management, wound-healing, and recovery. All CBD based products created as a result of this program will be launched under Aurora’s new U.S. high-performance athletic brand ROAR Sports.

The ROAR Sports brand was developed specifically for elite athletes and will consist of a portfolio made up of high-quality, hemp-derived CBD topical products. The new brand plans to challenge the status quo and help alleviate the stresses brought on by competition. ROAR Sports will be the “Official CBD product of UFC.”

Our partnership with UFC is about committing to the science that will educate and advocate,” said Aurora CEO Terry Booth. “We are going to work together to change the way people think, to change the industry, and to launch the first hemp-derived CBD products that are backed by scientific research. The brand-building and product development are all part of our move into the U.S., and in collaboration with UFC, and we intend to play a major role in that market.”

Understanding the health and recovery needs of these elite athletes as they embark on the extremely competitive and physically demanding sport of MMA is one of the main reasons for this research partnership. The research data obtained from this program will be used to further the development of safe and reliable hemp-derived CBD products. The rapidly expanding CBD market centers around mostly untested products which are currently being used by athletes.

UFC/Aurora Media Kit

The multi-faceted clinical research program will be conducted at the state of the art UFC Performance Institute® in Las Vegas, Nevada. Leading the study will be Aurora’s Chair of the Global Scientific Oversight Committee Jason Dyck, Vice President of Global Research and Medical Affairs Dr. Kelly Narine, and the UFC Performance Institute’s team of sports performance experts led by UFC Vice President of Performance Dr. Duncan French.

“We know anecdotally that professional athletes across sports disciplines are turning to hemp-derived CBD treatments to assist with physical recovery, with varying degrees of success,” added Jason Dyck, Chair of Aurora’s Global Scientific Oversight Committee. “The work we do in partnership with UFC will create an evidence-based, science-backed pipeline of consistent, and ‘clean’ hemp-derived CBD topicals that the high-performance athletes of UFC can rely on to treat the pain, inflammation, injury and other conditions associated with competing at such a high level.”

UFC athletes won’t be forced to contribute to the study, program attendance is strictly voluntary. In the end, the goal of this joint research study is to build peer-reviewed, publishable research on the science of CBD use amongst high-level professional athletes to be used in the creation of new CBD products that comply with U.S. Federal law as well as the UFC’s strict USADA and WADA based anti-doping program.

“Although CBD is allowed under USADA and WADA regulations, we want to be the leaders on educating UFC athletes on CBD use,” said Jeff Novitzky, UFC Senior Vice President of Athlete Health & Performance. “Athlete safety is a top priority for UFC, and we will collaborate with Aurora to ensure that any new products are third-party tested for all WADA-prohibited substances to make certain they meet WADA standards.”