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Dana White Fights Against TRT Abuse: ‘I Believe That Guys Are Cheating on It’

Frank Mir, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. What do all of these fighters have in common outside of being in the UFC, with several of them being former champions in the promotion? They are all curr…

Frank Mir, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

What do all of these fighters have in common outside of being in the UFC, with several of them being former champions in the promotion? They are all current or past users of the controversial testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) procedure that continues to plague the MMA landscape.

In the past, UFC president Dana White has bounced back and forth on his stance regarding the procedure. By the standard of state athletic commissions, as long as a fighter is granted a temporary use exemption (TUE), he is allowed to use the treatment to boost his testosterone for a fight.

This week White came out in strong opposition to TRT. He now says if you’re a fighter in the UFC and using the controversial treatment, the UFC will be testing nonstop throughout a training camp to ensure no funny business is going on.

“I’m against it. If you asked me three months ago it’s legal, it’s sports science, but everybody figures out a way to take a great thing and cheat and make it bad. I think that from what I’ve seen from the last year, I’ve seen situations where guys—if you know what testosterone replacement is, if you’re older your testosterone starts to get lower, well they can give you testosterone to get you back up to a 25-year-old (level),” said White during the UFC on Fuel 7 post-fight press conference.

“What I believe guys are doing jacking up this stuff through the roof through their entire training camp then getting back down to normal levels right before the fight, which is cheating. I hate it, don’t like it, and I’m going to fight it.

“If you are using TRT in the UFC, we’re going to start testing the s—t out of you, through your entire camp.”

Fighters who have been diagnosed by doctors with low testosterone can receive the treatment, which allows them to regain what is considered normal levels for an athlete. The problem White sees is that he believes fighters are taking the synthetic testosterone and boosting the levels to much higher than regular standards to help during training and then monitoring the levels to make sure they are back within a legal limit for fight time.

White doesn’t want to see it anymore, and he’s willing to test athletes independently of the athletic commissions to guarantee that if they are on TRT, their levels never peak above what would be considered normal by testing standards. The World Anti-Doping Agency allows for a four-to-one ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone levels, while the Nevada State Athletic Commission allows up to a six-to-one level.

“The TRT thing is legal, the commission lets guys use testosterone replacement therapy,” White said about the procedure. “I believe that guys are cheating on it. I truly believe that guys are cheating on it, and I don’t like to see a natural, gifted athlete go in and fight against a guy who has been jacked up on TRT for three months.”

White also points to the issue that there is not a clear definition or understanding of testosterone replacement therapy as it relates to athletics or more specifically to mixed martial arts.

“The other problem with TRT, the other problem that I have—you get four smart guys together who can have an educated conversation about testosterone replacement therapy—they’ll give you four different answers. So when it’s that vague and that many people don’t understand it, nanograms and this ratio to that ratio and all this bullsh—t. When you sit down and you start talking about it, it’s not fair,” White commented.

Testosterone naturally lowers as a person grows older, so levels won’t be the same at age 40 as they were at age 25. White believes that if a fighter’s testosterone levels are so dangerously low that he requires TRT, maybe that’s a sign that his fighting career is over.

“If your testosterone level isn’t high enough maybe you’re too old to fight,” White stated.

White was adamant about the testing, but it’s still to be revealed how often the UFC could test athletes and at what stage the UFC will be notified about a fighter being on TRT to be able to test. It’s also unknown at this time what ratio the UFC would allow a fighter to have during a training camp without testing at an unacceptable level.

It appears TRT will continue to permeate the headlines in the foreseeable future.

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Dominick Cruz Breaks Down Renan Barao’s Win: ‘Nothing Really Concerned Me’

UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz had a hard time watching the main event for UFC on Fuel TV 7 because watch is all he could do. Cruz is still sidelined after having two separate surgeries to repair a torn ACL in his knee, while interim bantamwei…

UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz had a hard time watching the main event for UFC on Fuel TV 7 because watch is all he could do.

Cruz is still sidelined after having two separate surgeries to repair a torn ACL in his knee, while interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao defended the title against top contender Michael McDonald in England on Saturday.

Currently filling his time as an analyst on Fuel TV, Cruz watched the bantamweight main event in studio and actually shadowboxed throughout the three-and-a-half round affair that saw Barao defeat McDonald with an arm triangle choke to retain the belt.

When it was over, Cruz had his chance during the UFC on Fuel 7 post-fight show to explain what he saw in the fight featuring the interim champ that’s gunning for his belt. As impressive as Barao was in victory, Cruz didn’t see anything in the fight that he can’t prepare for before they square off, hopefully later this year.

“You know nothing really concerned me,” Cruz said about Barao when speaking during the post-fight show on Fuel TV. “What I was noticing was the way McDonald chose to fight Barao, and it was pretty much the same problems I thought Barao was going to give him problems with. That is he can’t take down Barao, which gives Barao more chances to win. Defense and takedowns is what won this fight for Barao.”

Cruz promises a much different fight for the interim champion once he returns to action after rehabbing his knee injury. What Barao did against McDonald, Cruz says he shouldn’t expect to do against him.

“I tell you the difference–I fight different than anybody else. I’m not going to stand in front of you, I’m not just looking to counter you, and I’m mixing things up,” said Cruz. “On top of that, you take away range with angles and that beats range every day of the week. I can wrestle, I’m going to wrestle this guy, I’m not just going to stand in front of him and strike the whole time.

“I’m going to mix it up and keep him guessing. Faints ruin the entire game of Barao in my opinion and you take away the range by taking away the jab. He’s going to be confused when he gets in there. He’s not even going to do this (makes a motion that Barao won’t touch him).”

Cruz is obviously chomping at the bit to get back in the cage and compete, especially since he currently has to watch another competitor carry around a belt and call himself the UFC bantamweight champion.

If his rehabilitation goes well this time around, Cruz is hopeful for a return this summer—until then, he will just have to continue waiting and watching until he can challenge Barao and determine who truly is the best bantamweight fighter in the world.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Cris Cyborg Santos Signs with Invicta FC, Debuts Against Ediane Gomes

Former Strikeforce champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos has officially signed on with Invicta Fighting Championships and will debut with the promotion at their upcoming show on April 5. Santos made the announcement along with her manager former UFC light heav…

Former Strikeforce champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos has officially signed on with Invicta Fighting Championships and will debut with the promotion at their upcoming show on April 5.

Santos made the announcement along with her manager former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz on Friday night at a press conference attended by Bleacher Report at the Punishment Training Center in California.

The former 145-pound champion will meet Ediane “India” Gomes at the upcoming Invicta 5 show happening in Kansas City, MO in early April.

Gomes was already scheduled to be on the card against former Strikeforce fighter Julia Budd, but she will now face Santos instead.

The last year for Cris Cyborg has been anything but pleasant after testing positive for anabolic steroids after her last fight against Hiroko Yamanaka. She was subsequently suspended for one year by the California State Athletic Commission.

Since that time, Cyborg has been in a constant battle for a potential fight against UFC bantamweight women’s champion Ronda Rousey, but with the fight only being offered at 135 pounds, the Brazilian has not taken the bout.

Cyborg has stated on several occasions that there’s no way she could cut the additional weight to move down to 135 pounds, and that statement has negated her potential signing with the UFC.

Earlier this week, Cyborg received her official release from Zuffa (parent company of the UFC and Strikeforce) allowing her to sign with a different promotion.

Now the former Strikeforce champion has joined forced with Invicta Fighting Championships on a deal that will see her return to the cage for the first time in more than a year.

Santos will face fellow 145-pound fighter Ediane Gomes, who comes into the fight on a four-fight win streak with victories over Hiroko Yamanaka and Leslie Smith.

The winner of Santos vs. Gomes will then go on to meet Marloes Coenen in a 145-pound title fight later this year as confirmed by Invicta FC officials on Friday.

Invicta 5 goes down on April 5 from the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, MO where Cyborg vs. Gomes joins two title fights headlining the show as well with Jessica Penne taking on Michelle Waterson, while Vanessa Porto faces Barb Honchak.

Damon Martin is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report

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Gegard Mousasi Wants Title Shot or Henderson/Machida Winner Next

There was a lot of talk earlier this week about title shots when UFC President Dana White revealed that with a win at UFC on Fuel 9, Alexander Gustafsson would land as the next man in line to face Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight gold. His oppon…

His opponent, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, didn’t receive the same offer from White during his title fight talk.

The Dutch striker wasn’t upset to hear that Gustafsson may get a title shot with a win, but the same courtesy would not be extended to him. Mousasi knows he still has to earn his way in the UFC, but he plans on doing just that starting with Alexander Gustafsson on April 6 in Sweden.

“I think it’s perfectly normal cause he’s been fighting a long time in the UFC, so of course he’s a lot closer to the title shot,” Mousasi said about Gustafsson when speaking to Bleacher Report on Friday. “If after this fight if I win, I would like to fight the next contender for a title run.”

Mousasi isn’t giving up on his title hopes after this fight because performance pays off and if he can dispatch with Gustafsson in impressive fashion there’s no telling what could come next. His mission is to put Gustafsson away in such a manner that UFC President Dana White will have no other choice but to put his name into contention.

“I’m looking at this as a way to the title,” Mousasi said. “First it’s Gustafsson, I need to deal with that and after that the next No. 1 contender and then if I win that one then I feel like I deserve it. That’s up to the UFC because it depends on how I perform, and how I win. There’s a lot of things that go into getting a title shot.”

If a title shot doesn’t greet Mousasi following a win in April, he’s happy to take another fight and he’s targeting a solid list of contenders. The names at the top of the list include UFC 157 co-main event fighters Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida.

Henderson and Machida were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, respectively with the latest UFC fighter rankings, and Mousasi knows beating the winner of that fight would all but assure him a shot at the gold.

“I think Machida and Henderson are the No. 1 guys after this, and then you have Gustafsson. Maybe to see who’s next it’s (best for me) to fight Machida or Dan Henderson,” Mousasi said.

The title picture in the light heavyweight division won’t necessarily become clear until after Henderson and Machida square off and Gustafsson battles Mousasi. Then at that point, there may be more definition of who stands in line next to fight for the 205-pound belt.

All Mousasi knows for sure is that if his name isn’t on a bout agreement to face the champion, he wants the next closest person, whoever that may be.

“I think if I beat (Gustafsson) and then another fight then I deserve to fight for the title. After this fight, maybe the winner of (Lyoto) Machida/Dan Henderson, you have (Antonio Rogerio) Nogueira, (Glover) Teixiera, they’re doing well. So go against one of those guys to determine who is the next No. 1 guy,” said Mousasi. “If I win that one then I think I deserve a title shot, but first this fight.”

One part of his own destiny that Mousasi wants to control this year is how often he fights. After long layoffs due to injury and inactivity as part of the Strikeforce roster, Mousasi plans to stay very busy in 2013, and when the year is over he wants to either have a title shot signed or already be wearing the belt.

“I’m making a run for the title so it’s very important to win and hopefully the next fight will come soon,” Mousasi said. “After the title fight maybe I’ll fight a little less, but my goal this year is to fight as much as possible.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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Michael McDonald on a Mission from God and That Mission Isn’t About UFC Titles

UFC bantamweight title contender Michael McDonald is not your average, every day fighter. It’s not to say he doesn’t wake up every morning and put his pants on one leg at a time and tie his shoes like everybody else in the world, but he approaches figh…

UFC bantamweight title contender Michael McDonald is not your average, every day fighter.

It’s not to say he doesn’t wake up every morning and put his pants on one leg at a time and tie his shoes like everybody else in the world, but he approaches fighting with a much different mindset than almost any other competitor currently signed to the UFC. He certainly has a different approach that any title challenger currently up for a shot at the gold.

Despite the fact that McDonald at 22 years of age is about to battle for the UFC bantamweight title on Saturday and he’s headlining his first ever show for the promotion, it’s just another fight to him.

Now some fighters will say they are approaching a title fight like any other challenge, but in reality when it’s over they all speak to just how special that moment can be.

Not Michael McDonald.

His fight against Renan Barao for the UFC interim bantamweight title is really just another trip to the Octagon and even if he got the call today saying the belt wasn’t up for grabs and he was facing a late notice replacement, McDonald’s pulse wouldn’t raise one beat per second.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s for the title or whether it’s just another fight. Even today two days away the fight I would be perfectly fine if they changed my opponent today,” McDonald told Bleacher Report on Thursday from England. “It’s not about who I’m fighting or for what, this is my job and it’s my mission from God, and that’s why I’m here.”

The words “mission from God” will rattle some people because McDonald is so outspoken about his faith, but it’s not a belief he only celebrates on Sundays or holidays. McDonald truly follows the passion for his religion every minute of everyday, and he believes that’s what separates him from so many other fighters on the UFC roster.

He’s not in this sport for accolades or gold belts. McDonald believes it’s his mission from God to do what he’s doing, and fighting is just a profession that pays the bills. It’s not what defines him as a person.

“I think a lot of people they define that in themselves, they take this whole fighter image and they think that’s who they are. It makes up who they are with what they do. It’s like those people when it’s time to stop fighting, they’re too old to put it down, but they’ve done it for so long they don’t know what else to do. That’s who they are, they don’t know anything else. That’s their identity,” said McDonald

“It’s a lot of the same for the title. They strive for that title, they live for that title. It’s just so they can put that stamp on themselves at the end of the day and say I’m accomplished. I’m not a loser, and I don’t need that. I don’t care about it.

“I know what my identity is with my God and it has nothing to do with the title. It has nothing to do with me being a UFC fighter.”

So what drives Michael McDonald as he heads into Saturday night?

McDonald wants to be happy in everything he does whether it’s fighting, the carpentry he does at home in his spare time, loving his girlfriend or whatever else crosses his path. If McDonald wakes up happy and goes to bed with a smile on his face, nothing else matters and that is lost in translation for a lot of fighters according to the young Californian.

“In general you need motivations, and for a lot of people that’s the only motivation they have,” McDonald said when speaking about fighters and their obsession with the title. “They can’t even imagine losing that motivation because that’s what drives them. You do need motivation, but I think some people are motivated by the wrong thing.

“This sport causes a lot of broken families, it can cause a lot of problems in life and it’s so easy to get things mixed up. At the end of the day, if you’re a happy person you’re going to be a dangerous fighter. If you enjoy what you do and you’re stepping in everyday and being happy, that’s when you’re the most dangerous fighter in the world. I think it’s a horrible mistake for people to have it the other way around.”

The job that McDonald has won’t define him because he truly believes his mission in life comes from a higher power.

“My job is not my provider, my God is my provider,” said McDonald. “I’ve had to go without income for a year and he’s provided everyday. He’s provided my happiness and my living, everything that’s happened, he’s provided for me.”

One thing you’ll rarely hear McDonald talk about leading up to his fight on Saturday is his opponent Renan Barao. It’s not that McDonald is unaware of Barao or the dangers he possesses, but he’s just another fighter standing across the cage from him.

McDonald even admits that in the lead up during fight week he’s had arguments with UFC producers that have tried their hardest to get him to say something inflammatory to help promote the matchup with Barao.

“I’ve actually had a lot of complications with promotions. When you come out with the initial phrases that you say to lead up to that fight, to promote the fight, those little clips where you push about the fight and catch people’s attention right before the show starts, right before they start the UFC. I’ve even had a lot of complications with that like ‘hey pump it up, say something about Renan [Barao]‘ and I’m like that’s not how I think, that’s not how my brain works,” said McDonald. “It’s almost anti-climactic and it’s not exciting, and I’ve almost had meet on middle ground with producers of that trying to find a way to say something about my opponent to pump up the fight and it’s not about that.”

The issue has come to a head more than once, but McDonald refuses to compromise his moral ground for the sake of promoting any fight. He’s going to be true to himself and to everyone he reaches that watches on TV, in the arena, or anywhere else.

“I’m proud that I have not let this change me and the way that I think,” McDonald said. “I’ve had producers of the UFC looking down my back saying ‘dude, you need to say this, if not we’re going to have some problems’. It’s like I’m sorry, I’m going to have to take some time and talk to my manager about it and find some middle ground for what we can say.

“At the end of the day it always makes me feel good that I stayed true to myself.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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Jake Shields Returns to Welterweight; Targets Jake Ellenberger or Carlos Condit

Jake Shields’ UFC career has been anything but a smooth ride as the former Elite XC and Strikeforce champion has endured more than his fair share of personal and professional bumps in the road over the last two years. The Cesar Gracie black belt long r…

Jake Shields‘ UFC career has been anything but a smooth ride as the former Elite XC and Strikeforce champion has endured more than his fair share of personal and professional bumps in the road over the last two years.

The Cesar Gracie black belt long rallied for a chance to come to the UFC after dominating virtually every competitor he faced in all of the other promotions he fought for over the years. Once he got to the UFC however, Shields fell on harder times, going just 2-2 (1 no-contest) over his last five fights.

He had to suffer through the loss of his father, Jack Shields just days away from his scheduled bout against Jake Ellenberger in Sept 2011, and then after a brief return to the middleweight division, he tested positive for a banned substance that put him on suspension for the last six months.

After some much needed time off and reflection, Shields is truly ready to turn the page on the last couple of years of his life and get back to the business of being one of the top welterweights in the world.

Shields will officially return to the UFC later this year, and he will do so as a 170-pound fighter, the division he dominated until he ran into UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, which resulted in his first loss in nearly six years.

“I’m hungry to fight right now,” Shields told Bleacher Report on Wednesday. “I’ve been training really hard. The problem is there’s not a lot of opponents for me right now, but I want to fight. I’m kind of stuck waiting, but I’m hoping something pulls together quick.”

Shields says the decision to move back to welterweight happened when he tried to get his body readjusted to fighting at 185 pounds for his last fight. While he was part of Strikeforce, Shields struggled to find opponents in the welterweight division, so eventually he moved to middleweight where he defeated Robbie Lawler, Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Dan Henderson in consecutive fights.

When he struggled to cut weight and get the same kind of performances once he signed with the UFC as a welterweight, Shields tested the middleweight division again, and he wasn’t happy with the results.

“I’m always kind of stuck in the middle, it’s either a big cut or I’m small at the weight,” Shields stated. “I was constantly trying to keep my weight up, I was eating all the time and lifting all the time. I never really got over 195 pounds and even then all the 170 pounders are bigger than that. Basically I got a new diet, a cleaner diet, I’ve got my weight back down into the high 180’s.”

Shields is currently fasting on an all fruit and vegetable juice diet, and in his daily life, he’s a vegetarian, but already notices a big difference with the dietary changes he’s made.

“I made some changes, my weight came down, my cardio feels better, I feel a lot cleaner with more energy,” said Shields.

With his weight in check, Shields is now focused on restarting his career in 2013 in the welterweight division. It’s a harsh reminder how quickly the world forgets that it wasn’t long ago Shields was clearly defined as the No. 2 welterweight in the world behind St-Pierre, and now his name has vanished from the rankings.

Shields hopes to rectify that with his next few fights, and he’d love the chance to start with an old foe that he fought after the tragic loss of his father.

“I’d like to fight someone tough. I’d like to fight Jake Ellenberger,” Shields said. “That’s the one loss that I felt I’d really like the chance to repeat myself on, so I’d like that. I just want to fight one of those top guys, to show that I can still beat those guys and get back into title contention.”

Ellenberger is currently matched up with top ranked welterweight contender Johny Hendricks at UFC 158 in Montreal, so Shields is happy to face any top competitors the UFC sees fit. He’ll even stand by the ready in case they need him for the UFC 158 card where the show is stacked with welterweights.

“Carlos Condit would make a lot of sense. He’s really good or (Rory) MacDonald, he’s good. Just any of these guys that are good. I’m willing to fight whoever they put me against,” Shields commented. “I’m staying ready in case someone gets hurt in March I might be able to jump in and fill in for somebody. I certainly wouldn’t want to wish injury upon anyone, but it’s good to be ready just in case.”

Shields actually defeated Condit during the Rumble on the Rock welterweight tournament in 2006, and the New Mexico based fighter has talked about a rematch several times in the past.

No matter who he faces, what Shields doesn’t want to live with is the fact that he didn’t try to come back and show the world that he can still be one of the best fighters on the planet.

“I don’t want to look back in five years and say I did okay in the UFC. I had some wins, had some losses, fought for the title, but I never reached my potential. I’m willing to do whatever I takes,” said Shields.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this so I’m really looking to come out and get some big wins and hopefully in dominant fashion. I want to go out there and finish some fighters.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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