After a string of high-profile drug-testing failures by some of MMA’s biggest names, the sport’s most prominent fight organization promised earlier this year to to ramp up its efforts by aligning with a third-party drug-testing firm that will conduct out-of-competition testing.

Plans for the enhanced, year-round drug-testing program will be revealed at today’s press conference, which streams live on MMAjunkie at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT).

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), a nonprofit and non-governmental organization that serves as the the national anti-doping organization for the U.S., is expected to manage the UFC’s more stringent approach, according to multiple industry veterans who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein wouldn’t confirm the company’s choice of USADA, but the UFC in February announced it would enact World Anti-Doping Administration standards to help curtail drug use in the sport and create “an even playing field.”

“When you start having 500-plus athletes under contract, and you’re doing 42 or 45 events per year around the world, the UFC has now ascended to not just an event promoter here and there, but one of the major sports globally,” Epstein told USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie earlier this week. “With that great success comes great responsibility, and our responsibility is to ensure the playing field – the octagon in our case – is safe and fair. We felt this is something we had to do.”

Earlier this year, many UFC fighters said they eagerly anticipated more-stringent testing:

However, the expanded drug testing is just one part of an ambitious initiative the UFC has dubbed its “Athlete Marketing and Development Program.” According to Epstein, the promotion will spend “millions of dollars” in hopes of improved training methods and output from the 600-plus fighters on its roster.

Included in the new program, which newly hired UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky will oversee, are partnerships with self-described human-performance company Fusionetics, as well as training, nutrition and physical therapy specialists EXOS.

“If you look at what it’s going to cost us in expenses out of pocket, it’s in the millions,” Epstein said. “But we don’t think there’s a better investment we can make than spending this money. It’s going to benefit our athletes in so many ways. It’s going to keep them healthier. It’s going to help them perform better.”

Epstein and other company executives visited elite training centers around the world – including major sports franchises in the U.S., as well as English soccer powerhouse Manchester City Football Club – while developing the new program. Epstein said the promotion noted the best practices being used in those sports and developed a program it believes can benefit UFC athletes in a similar fashion.

“I’d consider it a first-of-its-kind and a best-of-its-kind program in the combat sports space,” Epstein said. “Nobody else is doing this in mixed martial arts or boxing or anything like that.”

An additional aspect of the still-developing program also includes the help of a career-services organization, according to UFC Vice President of Public Relations Dave Sholler, who said the company is actively seeking potential partners in that field.

“The athletes will be able to start obtaining some of the skills and job requisites needed to make that transition,” Sholler said. “We know that not everyone will be able to live off the earnings they’ve made in professional sports, so we want to help them with that transition.”

Finally, UFC officials will also open a full-time training and rehabilitation center as part of a new corporate headquarters that is slated to open next year in Las Vegas.

“Our athletes are located all around the world, but we do a lot of events here, and our athletes frequently travel here,” Epstein said. “We’re going to make this resource available for training, for rehabilitation after an injury takes place and to simply get educated on the latest and greatest training techniques. Building that facility is going to be a big part of this thing.”

Epstein hopes the multi-tiered approach to fighter health will ultimately result in less injuries and better overall fighter development as the promotion focuses on its global-growth efforts.

“We really view this as providing additional resources to UFC athletes,” Epstein said. “That’s really the genesis of this program, and the overall goal of this program is to provide this benefit to all UFC athletes.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.