Count in UFC middleweight/US Marine Corp veteran Brian Stann as one of the fighters who wants to see testosterone replacement therapy banned in MMA.
Shortly after middleweight contender Vitor Belfort easily disposed of former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold with a picture perfect spinning heel kick at UFC on FX 8 Saturday, Stann, via Twitter, spoke at length on the subject of TRT.
First, Stann responded to a tweet on the subject posted by MMA Junkie’s Ben Fowlkes:
@benfowlkesmma @mmajunkiesteven I disagree. I have trained with guys pre & post testosterone usage & difference is incredible. Speed & power
— Brian Stann (@BrianStann) May 19, 2013
Shortly afterwards, “The All-American” posted on TwitLonger, calling the whole concept of TRT “ridiculous:”
“I am not trying to be a jerk & not jealous of other fighter success, I am secure in who I am. Allowing pro fighters to inject test (sic) is just plain ridiculous.”
Before calling it a day, the Greg Jackson’s MMA fighter said that, in his opinion, TRT is a threat to fighter safety.
In a day & age where we discover new long term effects of concussions and how horrible they are, I speak out of concern for my peers
— Brian Stann (@BrianStann) May 19, 2013
Stann has currently been enjoying his desk job as an MMA analyst for FUEL TV ever since suffering a brutal knockout at the hands of PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva at UFC on FUEL 8 in March.
The bout marked Stann’s second consecutive loss, dropping a unanimous decision to Michael Bisping at UFC 152 in September.
Coincidentally, Stann’s on-screen analytical partner Chael Sonnen, another open user of TRT, defeated him with an arm-triangle choke at UFC 136 in October 2011.
Does Stann bring up valid points that have yet to be thoroughly evaluated when talking about TRT usage in the sport of mixed martial arts?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
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