Tag: marijuana in MMA

Cynthia Calvillo Sounds Off About Failed Marijuana Test

UFC strawweight Cynthia Calvillo tested positive for marijuana following her fight at UFC 219, and the fallout has been confusing and disheartening, according to Calvillo herself. Calvillo holds a medical marijuana card in her home state of California, and competed at UFC 219, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where medicinal marijuana is also […]

The post Cynthia Calvillo Sounds Off About Failed Marijuana Test appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC strawweight Cynthia Calvillo tested positive for marijuana following her fight at UFC 219, and the fallout has been confusing and disheartening, according to Calvillo herself.

Calvillo holds a medical marijuana card in her home state of California, and competed at UFC 219, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where medicinal marijuana is also legal. However, USADA forbids it regardless of legality or medical permission, which has naturally caused some confusion for fighters like Calvillo.

She discussed the failed test on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour and revealed that she has lost a sponsor due to the fallout:

“I really didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I’m not trying to be a rebel, just, I don’t know. It just really, really sucks that I’m in this position right now.”

“They say you have to be literally pretty super, super high in order to test positive the day of the fight. There’s no way in hell I smoked or took any cannabis the week of my fight at all. Let alone the day of my fight.”

“They tell us, like, they’re comfortable about how much time you would need to be cleared for in-competition testing. The last time I had consumed cannabis was on Christmas Eve, which was the week of the fight. I usually use it for sleeping, I use it for inflammation, I have had my medical card for over two years. It’s something I’ve used especially because I had an injury where I broke arm my three times in a row, and so I use it for the medical component and cannabis, CBD does help heal your bones. I was also having trouble sleeping for a long time [and it’s] better than using over-the counter stuff.”

Many athletes have praised the use of cannabis and CBD oil for recovery after grueling trainings and workouts. Nate Diaz even boldly vaped CBD oil at a post-fight press conference, so it’s use is at least somewhat prevelant amongst MMA fighters.

Calvillo was retroactively suspended for nine months from the December 30 fight date and was fined 15 percent of her fight purse following her loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 219.

Do you think Calvillo’s punishment is too harsh considering she has a medicinal marijuana card in her home state?

The post Cynthia Calvillo Sounds Off About Failed Marijuana Test appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Free At Last: Josh Rosenthal to Be Released From Prison After 19-Month Stint


(Photo via MMANuts.)

By CP Reader Bryan Adelman

Ah, Josh, we missed you.

Veteran MMA referee Josh Rosenthal is set for release this March after spending 19 months in federal prison, according to MMAJunkie.com.

As you may recall, Rosenthal was sentenced to 37 months back in July 2013 after federal agents seized, get this, over 1,000 marijuana plants valued at around $6 million, a year earlier at an Oakland, California warehouse owned by Rosenthal.

More on this story after the jump.


(Photo via MMANuts.)

By CP Reader Bryan Adelman

Ah, Josh, we missed you.

Veteran MMA referee Josh Rosenthal is set for release this March after spending 19 months in federal prison, according to MMAJunkie.com.

As you may recall, Rosenthal was sentenced to 37 months back in July 2013 after federal agents seized, get this, over 1,000 marijuana plants valued at around $6 million, a year earlier at an Oakland, California warehouse owned by Rosenthal.

At last, we can finally explain that seductive, hypnotic stare he always seemed to bring with him to the ring. Of course, Rosenthal is best known for his, shall we say, laid-back approach to refereeing.

Case in point, the incredibly late Chris Weidman – Mark Munoz stoppage, where Rosenthal found the time to step in only after Munoz absorbed an additional seven bludgeons than were needed (Yes, I counted them). Evidently, Rosenthal felt it wasn’t appropriate to jump in until Weidman had gone full-Donny Donowitz on the unconscious Munoz.

At the same time, however, he was equally beloved precisely because of that reluctance.

Take the hellacious beating Shane Carwin gave Brock Lesnar back at UFC 116. In the hands of a less competent (READ: merciful) referee, “The Engineer” would’ve been the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion and history would’ve briefly skewed onto an alternate path, until being subsequently corrected by a violent, Cain Velasquez ass-beating.

But, alas, it was not to be. We all know the story by now: Lesnar regrouped and took Carwin’s soul in the second round.

And what about the first Shogun – Henderson fight? Could it have been stopped in the third? Maybe.

BUT WERE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?  DID THE BLOODSHED NOT QUENCH THE GREAT OLD ONES’ THIRST?

I digress.

It’s unclear where Rosenthal goes from here. His referee license expired at the time of his sentencing and it seems unlikely he’ll be allowed to ref any high-profile fights, should he even attempt to get relicensed. Currently, Rosenthal is staying at a Residential Drug Abuse Program halfway house, the completion of which will justify his early release.

In a time where Kim Winslow still has a job, Herb Dean is getting punched in the Octagon, and “Big” John McCarthy is getting his ass kicked at a Costco, for Christ’s sake, the world needs Josh Rosenthal to come and set the world right again.

And before you condemn the man, before you call him a dirty, drug-dealing embarrassment to the sport, consider this: In the span of about seven years, Josh Rosenthal had the opportunity to watch some of the greatest fights first-hand and take part in a six million dollar marijuana empire. What have you been doing with your life?

Glad to have you back, Josh, you big, bald, beautiful bastard.

Jessica Eye’s Denial of Positive Marijuana Test is a PR Failure of Spectacular Proportions

(via MMAFighting)

Jessica Eye had four months to come clean about testing positive for marijuana following her UFC 166 win over Sarah Kaufman, yet she chose to deny, deny, deny and has arguably found herself in a worse place because of it.

Perhaps I should back up a bit. You see, although reports initially claimed that Eye had tested positive for prescription blood thinners stemming from a car accident she was involved in some 11 years ago, it was revealed yesterday that Eye did in fact test positive for marijuana post UFC 166. This was largely unearthed by BloodyElbow’s Brent Brookehouse, who correctly pointed out that a) no athletic commission in their right mind would license a fighter on blood thinners for obvious reasons (difficulty stopping cuts, increased risk of intracranial bleeding) and b) the Texas Athletic Commission did not conduct any blood tests at UFC 166, which would have been the only way that blood thinners would show up in a post-fight test.

And so, reports began to circulate that Eye’s test was actually for marijuana (Author’s note: Called it). Eye vehemently denied these rumors on yesterday’s The MMA Hour (see above) and even went as far as to attack Brookehouse’s credibility on her now deleted Twitter account. Unfortunately for Eye, Fox Sports published a piece containing “the agreed order as handed down from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation” shortly after her MMA Hour appearance that not only proved that Eye’s test was in fact for marijuana, but that Eye had known about this and waived her right to appeal in January.


(via MMAFighting)

Jessica Eye had four months to come clean about testing positive for marijuana following her UFC 166 win over Sarah Kaufman, yet she chose to deny, deny, deny and has arguably found herself in a worse place because of it.

Perhaps I should back up a bit. You see, although reports initially claimed that Eye had tested positive for prescription blood thinners stemming from a car accident she was involved in some 11 years ago, it was revealed yesterday that Eye did in fact test positive for marijuana post UFC 166. This was largely unearthed by BloodyElbow’s Brent Brookehouse, who correctly pointed out that a) no athletic commission in their right mind would license a fighter on blood thinners for obvious reasons (difficulty stopping cuts, increased risk of intracranial bleeding) and b) the Texas Athletic Commission did not conduct any blood tests at UFC 166, which would have been the only way that blood thinners would show up in a post-fight test.

And so, reports began to circulate that Eye’s test was actually for marijuana (Author’s note: Called it). Eye vehemently denied these rumors on yesterday’s The MMA Hour (see above) and even went as far as to attack Brookehouse’s credibility on her now deleted Twitter account. Unfortunately for Eye, Fox Sports published a piece containing “the agreed order as handed down from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation” shortly after her MMA Hour appearance that not only proved that Eye’s test was in fact for marijuana, but that Eye had known about this and waived her right to appeal in January.

Why Eye chose to outright lie with the evidence staring her directly in the face in anyone’s guess. Surely she knew that it was only a matter of time until her tests results came to light, so what was she hoping to gain by denying the facts until the very last minute? As Ben Fowlkes stated on the most recent edition of The Co-Main Event Podcast, Eye’s “probated suspension” and measly $1,875 fine was probably the lightest an MMA fighter has ever gotten off for a positive marijuana test. There’s also the fact that, well, MMA fans and media alike don’t really give a shit about weed anymore — there’s much bigger fish to fry.

The real irony of the situation is that, had Eye simply admitted to her mistake like Pat Healy before her, most of us would have shrugged our shoulders and moved on from the situation entirely. Instead, Eye’s denial of the claims against her (and subsequent Twitter rant) made a story out of nothing and has left her in a much worse standing with fans than any failed marijuana test ever could. Not to mention the fallout that could come from Eye’s admittal to being on blood thinners, which could make it incredibly difficult for her to secure a fight license moving forward. I guess that’s why they say “the truth shall set you free” and all that.

But as it stands, Eye will still fight Alexis Davis at UFC 170, and the Texas Athletic Commission might want to look into how they handle failed drug tests. Let’s just hope that Eye’s handling of this situation will serve as a “what not to do” blueprint to the Yancy Medeiros’ of the world moving forward.

–J. Jones

Get Lifted: UFC Raises Marijuana Threshold for International Events, Nick Diaz’s Unretirement Surely Imminent

Man…Bryan Caraway is gonna be piiiiiiissssseeddd when he gets word of this little development.

You might not have heard about this, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s Steroid and Drug Testing Advisory Panel was held in Las Vegas over the weekend, and among the primary issues discussed was that of the acceptable threshold for marijuana metabolites in a given fighter’s system that the UFC currently allows, specifically on an international level. You see, since the UFC usually acts as its own regulatory body in foreign countries, an issue has recently emerged regarding the discrepancy between their acceptable level for metabolites  — 50 ng/mL — and the newly-deemed acceptable level of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) — 150 ng/mL.

Fortunately, UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner revealed during the panel that the promotion’s threshold will now be raised to meet the level of WADA’s. He spoke with MMAJunkie, then presumably passed one to the left hand side:

“When we self-regulate around the world, we are going to go the WADA standard of 150. So we’re starting that immediately.”

Ratner also told MMAjunkie.com the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission – or Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA) – which regulates UFC events in Brazil, has also agreed to the same standard and will make the change at next week’s UFC on FUEL TV 10 event in Fortaleza. Brazilian commission officials later confirmed their decision.

You may be asking yourself, “What exactly does this threshold change mean for UFC fighters moving forward?”

Man…Bryan Caraway is gonna be piiiiiiissssseeddd when he gets word of this little development.

You might not have heard about this, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s Steroid and Drug Testing Advisory Panel was held in Las Vegas over the weekend, and among the primary issues discussed was that of the acceptable threshold for marijuana metabolites in a given fighter’s system that the UFC currently allows, specifically on an international level. You see, since the UFC usually acts as its own regulatory body in foreign countries, an issue has recently emerged regarding the discrepancy between their acceptable level for metabolites  – 50 ng/mL — and the newly-deemed acceptable level of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) — 150 ng/mL.

Fortunately, UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner revealed during the panel that the promotion’s threshold will now be raised to meet the level of WADA’s. He spoke with MMAJunkie, then presumably passed one to the left hand side:

“When we self-regulate around the world, we are going to go the WADA standard of 150. So we’re starting that immediately.”

Ratner also told MMAjunkie.com the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission – or Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA) – which regulates UFC events in Brazil, has also agreed to the same standard and will make the change at next week’s UFC on FUEL TV 10 event in Fortaleza. Brazilian commission officials later confirmed their decision.

You may be asking yourself, “What exactly does this threshold change mean for UFC fighters moving forward?” Well, the basic idea is this: By raising the threshold to 150 ng/mL, the UFC is aiming to catch fighters who use marijuana in competition, rather than the days (or in Pat Healy’s case, weeks) before a fight.

Somewhere out there, Matt Riddle is beating his kids in a fit of bitter rage.

While the debate over whether or not marijuana should even be tested for in the first place continues to rage on, the change suggests a shift in mindset regarding marijuana’s place in combat sports in general. It’s also one that Ratner hopes the Nevada State Athletic Commission will adopt in the near future as well:

I want to commend the committee. This goes along with the UFC’s thinking, as well as my own, that we’re moving progressively to the future, and times are changing.

As for the ongoing TRT debate? Well, the commission is trying to work that out as well, proposing a decrease in the acceptable T/E ratio amongst fighters from 6-to-1 to 4-to-1. No comment.

–J. Jones

Pat Healy Admits to “Dumb” Decision That Cost Him UFC 159 Win, Tentatively Calls Bryan Caraway a “Good Guy”


(“We both see the green goblin dancing in the corner of the room, right Ariel?” Photo via MMAFighting.)

Without beating the dead horse that is the marijuana in MMA debate any further, it’s safe to say that Pat Healy’s positive test for marijuana following his UFC 159 win over Jim Miller was, at the very least, a costly mistake. The same can be said for Nate Diaz‘s response to the situation, albeit for entirely different reasons. But being the relatively straightforward guy that Healy is, he was quick to admit to his mistake in a recent interview with MMAFighting:

I wish I could go back in time and slap myself. It was a dumb thing to do. 

It was about three and a half, four weeks out. I was at a friend’s birthday party, just hanging out. To be honest I didn’t even think it would be an issue, you know? It was a huge mistake and I just didn’t even think.

While Healy’s admission of guilt is a bit of fresh air in today’s “take no responsibility” MMA landscape, we’re kind of left wishing he had been managed by Mike Kogan, if only so we could learn about how marijuana in the state of Oregon, which is where Healy is from, is considered an off-brand form of Advil.

As for all the controversy that spilled out of Healy’s positive test in the form of Bryan Caraway?


(“We both see the green goblin dancing in the corner of the room, right Ariel?” Photo via MMAFighting.)

Without beating the dead horse that is the marijuana in MMA debate any further, it’s safe to say that Pat Healy’s positive test for marijuana following his UFC 159 win over Jim Miller was, at the very least, a costly mistake. The same can be said for Nate Diaz‘s response to the situation, albeit for entirely different reasons. But being the relatively straightforward guy that Healy is, he was quick to admit to his mistake in a recent interview with MMAFighting:

I wish I could go back in time and slap myself. It was a dumb thing to do. 

It was about three and a half, four weeks out. I was at a friend’s birthday party, just hanging out. To be honest I didn’t even think it would be an issue, you know? It was a huge mistake and I just didn’t even think.

While Healy’s admission of guilt is a bit of fresh air in today’s “take no responsibility” MMA landscape, we’re kind of left wishing he had been managed by Mike Kogan, if only so we could learn about how marijuana in the state of Oregon, which is where Healy is from, is considered an off-brand form of Advil.

As for all the controversy that spilled out of Healy’s positive test in the form of Bryan Caraway?

I feel bad that my poor choices spawned more trouble for anybody, for Caraway and Nate.

Bryan’s a good guy. Sometimes, I think, you know, he got into some trouble with comments about Ronda Rousey in that past. Sometimes I think when he talks to the media he just doesn’t think about what he’s saying 100 percent through. I think it was a poor choice of words by him, but I know he’s a good guy and didn’t mean anything toward me personally. 

Healy has always come off as a stand up guy, but holding yourself personally responsible for the rants of an alleged woman-hitting steroid peddler and a semi-literate ignoramus who weren’t even involved in your situation to begin with? Do not test this man’s politeness.

–J. Jones

In Light of Pat Healy’s Positive Marijuana Test, Bryan Caraway Declares Hatred of All Things Irie


(A stern anti-marijuana crusader hand-in-hand with the marijuana king of Oakland? Looks like Martin Scorsese just found his next screenplay. Photo via Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

There’s really not much more that can be said about Pat Healy’s — or really, any other fighter’s — positive test for marijuana and subsequent suspension/fines. As insane as it is that we live in a world where marijuana usage often carries a higher penalty for MMA fighters than that of steroids, it’s also a rule that every fighter understands the moment they become an employee of the UFC. Simply put, if you’re not smart enough to understand exactly how long marijuana metabolites stay in your system prior to a fight, you pretty much deserve what’s coming to you. It’s the reason I picked a line of work that literally allows me to blow bong hits at my computer screen while writing this. Not that I am — as with alcohol, I don’t believe in smoking before noon. On weekdays.

That’s not to say that we relish whenever a fighter is busted for marijuana, in fact it’s usually quite the opposite. In the case of Healy, he had the biggest (and possibly most exciting) win of his career negated and over 100k in bonus money revoked because he liked to kick back with a little Wildwood Weed after a day of getting his ass kicked. It’s a better excuse than most of us have, but don’t expect the man who received his revoked $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus, Bryan Caraway, to offer him any sympathy. In an interview with MMAJunkie, Caraway shot from the hip when discussing his feelings for all of us you dirty, pot-smoking degenerates:

I couldn’t be more happy, and it was an insanely pleasant surprise

All I’ve got to say is that’s some expensive weed. I like Healy a lot. I came up through the fighting ranks with him. We used to train together at Team Quest. I love the guy. But I have absolutely zero remorse or guilt.

I hate weed. I cannot stand it. I’ve never tried it. I’ve never smoked a drug in my life. So I have absolutely zero tolerance for people that do it. I don’t care if it’s legal in some places or not. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. Whether it’s legal in real life or not, they tell you to follow the rules. You need to follow the rules.


(A stern anti-marijuana crusader hand-in-hand with the marijuana king of Oakland? Looks like Martin Scorsese just found his next screenplay. Photo via Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

There’s really not much more that can be said about Pat Healy’s — or really, any other fighter’s — positive test for marijuana and subsequent suspension/fines. As insane as it is that we live in a world where marijuana usage often carries a higher penalty for MMA fighters than that of steroids, it’s also a rule that every fighter understands the moment they become an employee of the UFC. Simply put, if you’re not smart enough to understand exactly how long marijuana metabolites stay in your system prior to a fight, you pretty much deserve what’s coming to you. It’s the reason I picked a line of work that literally allows me to blow bong hits at my computer screen while writing this. Not that I am — as with alcohol, I don’t believe in smoking before noon. On weekdays.

That’s not to say that we relish whenever a fighter is busted for marijuana, in fact it’s usually quite the opposite. In the case of Healy, he had the biggest (and possibly most exciting) win of his career negated and over 100k in bonus money revoked because he liked to kick back with a little Wildwood Weed after a day of getting his ass kicked. It’s a better excuse than most of us have, but don’t expect the man who received his revoked $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus, Bryan Caraway, to offer him any sympathy. In an interview with MMAJunkie, Caraway shot from the hip when discussing his feelings for all of us you dirty, pot-smoking degenerates:

I couldn’t be more happy, and it was an insanely pleasant surprise

All I’ve got to say is that’s some expensive weed. I like Healy a lot. I came up through the fighting ranks with him. We used to train together at Team Quest. I love the guy. But I have absolutely zero remorse or guilt.

I hate weed. I cannot stand it. I’ve never tried it. I’ve never smoked a drug in my life. So I have absolutely zero tolerance for people that do it. I don’t care if it’s legal in some places or not. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. Whether it’s legal in real life or not, they tell you to follow the rules. You need to follow the rules.

While Caraway is certainly correct in regards to “the rules,” I always find it baffling when someone declares their staunch opposition to a substance, law, or cause while simultaneously stating that they have no experience or understanding of the substance/law/cause upon which their opinion is based.

Look, gun control is one thing — although I personally think the same rules apply — but to say that you cannot tolerate people who use a substance as harmless as weed regardless of its legality is plain ignorant. It’s also a setback of being raised in a society based on “freedom” — we rally behind the liberties and causes that apply to our individual lives while declaring that we have the right to deny our fellow man of different freedoms without even attempting to understand their point of view. It’s hypocrisy at its finest, and Caraway seems to fit this mold to a tee. To quote Honest Abe, “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”

But look at me, getting on my soapbox again. The fact is, Healy was aware of the potential consequences the moment he took a puff of that sweet, sweet herb, and now he will have deal with those consequences. If he doesn’t like it, maybe he should find a different line of work. Or just sign with Bellator.

–J. Jones