The Nevada State Athletic Commission has added another screening test in its attempts to stop fighters from taking illegal measures to improve their performance.
On Tuesday the NSAC will add hemoglobin testing to the list which can sometimes indicate the use of performance enhancing drugs, could indicate blood doping when compared to previous hemoglobin levels.
The LasVegasSun.com spoke to Keith Kizer, the commission’s executive director, who broke it down this way today:
“Basically, when you get the testing done on the blood for diseases like HIV and hepatitis, for a few extra bucks you can check for hemoglobin levels. It shows the amount of red blood cells in a person’s blood. You can compare that to future tests and if there’s a significant variance that could be proof someone took blood doping.”
The NSAC also amended a ruling on the use of anabolic steroids for medical reasons. Now fighters will not only have to provide a doctors note but will also have to undergo an immediate steroid test.
Under the previous policy, any participant looking to secure an exemption for therapeutic testosterone, which can be used to treat several diseases, only needed to submit a doctor’s note to the commission legitimizing its use.
“They do grant therapy exemptions if someone has valid, low testosterone levels,” Kizer said. “One of the things they have to do now though, in addition to proving it’s a legitimate medical condition, is do an immediate steroids test.”
As a fan of mma, this is a step in the right direction for the commission. A fighter showing up with a doctors note saying they require anabolic steroids for a condition probably happens more than we think, but adding an immediate drug test could discourage those trying to cheat the system or catch someone who is trying to pull a fast one at the last minute.