How bad do things have to get to rattle Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC)?
You would think a regulatory body charged with overseeing sports in a turbulent place like Las Vegas would be desensitized to pre- and post-fight shenanigans, but even chairman Anthony Marnell was aghast at the drug-test results for the Power Slap posse.
“Is there like a big bowl of performance-enhancing drugs down there somewhere that I don’t know about?” Marnell asked at Tuesday’s meeting. “I haven’t seen this in quite a while. I didn’t know you needed to use steroids to slap but I guess we’re going to find out”
MMA Fighting has the extensive list of now-suspended slap fighting competitors:
T.J. Thomas, who competed in a slap fighting bout on March 9, suspended after testing positive for clomiphene, a hormone and metabolic modulator
Jay Rivera, who competed in a slap fighting bout on March 11, suspended after testing positive for GW-1516, sulfone and sulfoxide, hormone and metabolic modulators
Chris Thomas, who competed in a slap fighting bout on March 11, suspended after testing positive for Buprenorphine, a narcotic and its metabolite norbuprenorphine. Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
Andrew Provost, who competed in a slap fighting bout on March 11, suspended after testing positive for Buprenorphine, a narcotic and it’s metabolite norbuprenorphine
Isaih Quinones, who competed in a slap fighting bout on March 11, suspended after testing positive for Norandrosterone, drostanolone, tamoxifen and boldenone, which are anabolic steroids. His “A” sample was tested and showed “exogenous origin of testosterone.”
Frank Holland, who competed in a slap fighting bout on March 11, suspended after testing positive for phentermine, a stimulant that can be prescribed for weight loss.
The above fighters will remain on temporary suspension until NSAC reconvenes for a formal disciplinary hearing.
Power Slap, the brainchild of UFC President Dana White, was able to score regulatory approval for his controversial sport late last year; however, former commission chairman Stephen Cloobeck later reversed his position, admitting he “made a mistake” by rubber-stamping White’s application.
In addition, White came under fire for slapping his wife while partying in Mexico, causing tension between the Power Slap promotion and executives at TBS. In the weeks that followed, White closed up shop in Las Vegas and shipped his slap operation to the sands of Abu Dhabi, picking up a new streaming parter along the way.
It should be noted that UFC acts as its own commission while competing overseas.