The Texas authorities won’t be taking any action against Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal or KJ Noons for their use of oxygen canisters in their fights at this past weekends Strikeforce: Houston event. Nor do the authorities see any wrong doing by the referees who handled the bouts featuring KJ Noons defeat of Jorge Gurgel or Chad Griggs victory over Bobby Lashley.
A representative of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation spoke to MMAjunkie.com about the event.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation believes no harm or foul got in the way of this past Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Houston.”
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And while many have suggested Lawal and Noons could have gained an unfair advantage with the breathing aid, Stanford said oxygen is not prohibited by the commission (Combative Sports Program statutes do not specifically address the use of oxygen; Stanford said banned substances include Monsel’s solution, silver nitrate, ammonium capsules and smelling salts).“It’s my understanding that the physician did consult with the ringside physician, and it was approved by the physician,” Stanford said. “It was within (the rules).”
Noons’ strike unpreventable
“[TDLR] representative Greg Alvarez said the strike was already started when the (final) bell rang,” Stanford said. “That’s the position of TDLR. No action will be taken against the referee.”
Lull in action prompted Lashley stand-up
“The referee felt there was a lull in action, and he had gotten them to their feet when he saw the cut,” Stanford said. “[The referee] had the doctor look at it, and then started the action again on their feet.”
MMAFighting.com talked to Dr. Jorge Guerrero who was the supervising ring physician for the Strikeforce event. He noted that it was the first time he’d seen the product used but insists that neither Lawal nor Noons did anything wrong.
“Is there controversy about this? The fighters didn’t use anything against the rules. When it’s something that’s not overtly prohibited or limited, it’s usually left up to the doctors at ringside, and we make the call on the spot. I think that’s what happened here. Oxygen to me is not an enhancing chemical or a super chemical. I think you have more problems with adrenaline that you would with 02. This is not a top priority for me to limit or decrease usage. It’s just unimportant.”
It will be interesting to see what sort of stance the UFC will take on canned O2 cageside. The big issue on hand, if O2 is fine before the fight, is ensuring that nothing else is being inhaled by the fighter that is considered a banned substance, but a simple post-fight drug test could clear that up.
Could we see fighters, notably those who “gas out” early in fights popping oxygen pre-fight in the future? I guess we’ll have to see.