(On the count of three, I want everyone who is not pulling a fast one to raise their hand.)
If there are two things that we would be willing to bet the house on in light of recent events, it’s that half of the scheduled fights for the next few months will be cancelled due to injury, and the few participants who remain standing after the smoke clears will only be doing so as a result of testosterone replacement therapy. So goes the story for TUF 1 winner and former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, the most recent UFC behemoth fighter who both filed for and was successful in receiving a therapeutic use exemption for TRT over the past couple months.
(On the count of three, I want everyone who is not pulling a fast one to raise their hand.)
If there are two things that we would be willing to bet the house on in light of recent events, it’s that half of the scheduled fights for the next few months will be cancelled due to injury, and the few participants who remain standing after the smoke clears will only be doing so as a result of testosterone replacement therapy. So goes the story for TUF 1 winner and former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, the most recent UFC behemoth fighter who both filed for and was successful in receiving a therapeutic use exemption for TRT over the past couple months.
The news that Griffin received a TUE from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his UFC 148 fight with the now-retired Tito Ortiz was reported by Pro MMA Radio Host Larry Pepe via his Twitter earlier today. Kind of makes you imagine how gassed Griffin would have really been in that third round had he not recently hopped on this bandwagon, but we digress.
We could get into the whole moral debate over this issue, but it would truly be retreading old ground at this point. The truth is, there ain’t much that FoGriff could do to justify his sudden need for testosterone, other than the fact that he’s not 22 anymore. Everyone from Randy Couture to Dana White have stated that TRT is basically a crock of shit excuse for aging athletes to feel younger again, but it’s legal, so whaddayagonnado?! Start juicing up filling out that paperwork now, Stephan, because you’re going to need it if you ever get that rematch.
Express your outrage or support for FoGriff’s plight in the comments section. And happy Friday the 13th, Potato Nation. I leave you with this:
(Fair warning: You DEFINITELY won’t see the compiler’s choice of music coming.)
(Then again, it seems to be working out pretty well for Clay Guida so far.)
Hell must have frozen over, because for once, we are in agreement with Dana White.
We’re not going to waste your time by recounting all of the endless press the issue of testosterone replacement therapy has received as of late, which would take us no less than twenty pages to complete. But needless to say, guys like Frank Mir are proving that damn near anyone can receive a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for TRT if they are willing to fill out the proper paperwork, and we’ve only begun to see the amount of fighters who will likely begin to hop on that bandwagon as time goes on.
But with his win at UFC 148, Anderson Silva basically proved that a vicious knee trumps TRT nearly 100 percent of the time, a notion that the UFC President really wishes he could drive home in one way or another. White recently sat down with ESPN’s Todd Grisham to discuss everything from fighter pay rates to the absolute sack of horseshit that was the Manny Pacquiao/Timothy Bradley decision. Being the polarizing subject that TRT is, Grisham brought up the possibility of the UFC having two fighters currently using testosterone as champions, were Chael Sonnen to defeat Silva and Dan Henderson to defeat Jon Jones, and what White would think of that. And we gotta say, we were rather impressed with Dana’s level-headed response. It was almost as if he had considered both sides of the story, rather than lashing out with personal attacks at the first person to speak up about a slightly sensitive issue. Like we said, the sky must be falling.
A full video interview is below.
(Then again, it seems to be working out pretty well for Clay Guida so far.)
Hell must have frozen over, because for once, we are in agreement with Dana White.
We’re not going to waste your time by recounting all of the endless press the issue of testosterone replacement therapy has received as of late, which would take us no less than twenty pages to complete. But needless to say, guys like Frank Mir are proving that damn near anyone can receive a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for TRT if they are willing to fill out the proper paperwork, and we’ve only begun to see the amount of fighters who will likely begin to hop on that bandwagon as time goes on.
But with his win at UFC 148, Anderson Silva basically proved that a vicious knee trumps TRT nearly 100 percent of the time, a notion that the UFC President really wishes he could drive home in one way or another. White recently sat down with ESPN’s Todd Grisham to discuss everything from fighter pay rates to the absolute sack of horseshit that was the Manny Pacquiao/Timothy Bradley decision. Being the polarizing subject that TRT is, Grisham brought up the possibility of the UFC having two fighters currently using testosterone as champions, were Chael Sonnen to defeat Silva and Dan Henderson to defeat Jon Jones, and what White would think of that. And we gotta say, we were rather impressed with Dana’s level-headed response. It was almost as if he had considered both sides of the story, rather than lashing out with personal attacks at the first person to speak up about a slightly sensitive issue. Like we said, the sky must be falling.
White’s response to the question, which comes at the 8:55 mark, went like this:
The bottom line is, the way that this TRT works, it’s absolutely 100 percent legal with the – let me explain one more thing. We’re regulated by the government. We’re really the only sport that’s actually regulated by the government and the government allows these guys to do this TRT. And basically over the next 10 years, sports science keeps getting better and better and better and the way that TRT works is as we get older your testosterone level drops, and this (TRT) is to replace it. The problem with it is, you got guys going ‘well if this much is good, this (more) must be great. That’s the problem and you will find guys that cheat even with the stuff that’s legal.
White continued that if you need to find a case against TRT usage, look no further than middleweight champ and pound for pound GOAT Anderson Silva:
That’s what we’re trying to – you make a good point and Anderson Silva said it at the press conference the other day. Anderson Silva, the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world has broke every record in the UFC and is the greatest fighter ever in mixed martial arts. He’s 38 years old, people don’t realize that, he’s not 28, he’s 38, and he’s not doing testosterone replacement therapy. This guy comes in 100 percent natural and he beats everybody. And something should be said for that, I don’t disagree. You know the guys who are using testosterone replacement therapy going up against a guy who isn’t, and this guy’s still the greatest in the world. So to me, the bottom line is you don’t need that junk. If you don’t abuse stuff earlier in your career, you’ll never need to use that kind of junk.
When asked if the decision were up to him regarding the legality of TRT in MMA (or at least the UFC), White stated that it would in fact be illegal.
As we’ve already heard from guys like former Heavy/Light Heavyweight champion Randy Couture, the potential pitfalls of TRT by far outweigh the benefits, and are becoming popular not out of necessity, but out of a desire to feel young again. Then again, Sonnen has shown that TRT can have a hell of an effect on the decision-making process, so maybe the natural fighters of the world would actually prefer to fight guys who are so confident in themselves as a result of “therapy” that they throw techniques well beyond their abilities. But what do you think, Potato Nation?
(Negative side effects of TRT: Bacne. Positive side effects: Falcon Punch.)
My God, today’s NSAC meeting, which determined both Chael Sonnen’s future ability to continue legal injecting steroids testosterone replacement therapy and Nick Diaz’s minimum retirement length was like watching Lawrence of Arabia, twice, minus all of the train explosions and shots of interesting desert landscapes. To describe the six hour hearing in a word: humdrum. Thankfully, we’ll be much briefer in summing up what went down.
To kick off the afternoon, Sonnen was successful in achieving a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy, and now joins the like of Dan Henderson, Todd Duffee, and Shane Roller in the select group of MMA fighters to receive an exemption from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. As far as interesting developments go, Sonnen admitted that he injected himself with testosterone, stating, “I administer two times a week, every Sunday and Thursday. It’s self-injected intermusculatory and [I] consider it to be a prescription.” When Commissioner Pat Lundvall asked why Sonnen had never listed using testosterone on his medical forms over the past few years, Sonnen stated that he was under the impression that it wasn’t something that needed to be disclosed. He also stated under oath that he “has never taken anabolic steroids.”
In another interesting moment, which took place before the hearing truly began, Keith Kizer likened TRT to “the new Viagra” as doctors continue to push it on the population and that “Therapuetic Use Exemptions do not allow you to test outside of normal ranges. It only allows for presence of synthetics.” Does this make Sonnen TRT’s Smiling Bob? Only time will tell.
(Negative side effects of TRT: Bacne. Positive side effects: Falcon Punch.)
My God, today’s NSAC meeting, which determined both Chael Sonnen’s future ability to continue legal injecting steroids testosterone replacement therapy and Nick Diaz’s minimum retirement length was like watching Lawrence of Arabia, twice, minus all of the train explosions and shots of interesting desert landscapes. To describe the six hour hearing in a word: humdrum. Thankfully, we’ll be much briefer in summing up what went down.
To kick off the afternoon, Sonnen was successful in achieving a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy, and now joins the like of Dan Henderson, Todd Duffee, and Shane Roller in the select group of MMA fighters to receive an exemption from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. As far as interesting developments go, Sonnen admitted that he injected himself with testosterone, stating, ”I administer two times a week, every Sunday and Thursday. It’s self-injected intermusculatory and [I] consider it to be a prescription.” When Commissioner Pat Lundvall asked why Sonnen had never listed using testosterone on his medical forms over the past few years, Sonnen stated that he was under the impression that it wasn’t something that needed to be disclosed. He also stated under oath that he “has never taken anabolic steroids.”
In another interesting moment, which took place before the hearing truly began, Keith Kizer likened TRT to “the new Viagra” as doctors continue to push it on the population and that “Therapuetic Use Exemptions do not allow you to test outside of normal ranges. It only allows for presence of synthetics.” Does this make Sonnen TRT’s Smiling Bob? Only time will tell.
And with that, Sonnen was granted an exemption on the grounds that he will undergo several blood tests both before and after UFC 148 to monitor his injections. The commission then asked if Sonnen would help them as an adviser on TRT in the future, which he gladly accepted.
Let’s move on to Diaz, who, true to form, did not pull any punches when answering his questions. When asked approximately when he began smoking marijuana again after his 2007 hearing with the NSAC, something Diaz swore he would never do again during said hearing, Diaz admitting to smoking weed pretty much immediately afterward upon returning home. Twenty-four year old Dave Chapelle approves. But the main issue was not when exactly Diaz had started dating Mary Jane again, or how early he broke it off with her before his fight with Carlos Condit at UFC 143, but rather why he lied on his pre-fight questionnaire when he stated that he was not taking any prescription or over-the-counter drugs at the time. The argument Diaz and lawyer Les Grossman attempted to make was an old stand-by for Diaz: ignorance.
According to Diaz and Grossman, Diaz was not aware that his marijuana usage did in fact fall under the terms of either prescription or OTC usage, simply because Diaz did not think his medically diagnosed ADHD was serious enough to be listed on the questionnaire. Also, being that Diaz neither obtained his medical marijuana through a prescription or over-the-counter means, but rather through a doctor’s statement, that Diaz should not be held entirely accountable for his actions. Diaz stated that he often obtained his medical marijuana through other friends who also had physician statements (yeah, same here bro) or at cannabis dispensaries located near his home, whichever was more convenient. Diaz also stated that he was diagnosed with ADHD in the second grade, and that although he began smoking pot for purely recreational purposes, looking back, he considered it more therapeutic than anything.
Although the commission wasn’t exactly out to make Diaz look like a fool, and seemed more than willing to hear his argument, their deliberation was so short that I could barely step outside to help cure my own self-diagnosed eating disorder, if you know what I mean, before the ruling had been handed down.
12 months, and thirty percent of Diaz’s UFC 143 purse and bonus.
Combine that with Grossman’s substantial fees, and that sure doesn’t leave him a whole lot to retire on, so expect to see Diaz back in the octagon once his suspension is up. Hopefully he’ll show up for the fight this time.
(“Where I come from, asking a guy if he’s on drugs will get you slapped, homie.”)
UFC welterweight Nick Diaz and his most recent positive test for marijuana after competing against Carlos Condit at UFC 143 in Las Vegas, may present Nevada with a first of its kind disciplinary situation, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer. Diaz is a resident of California, where medical marijuana has been legal since 2003, and the fighter has said that he has been prescribed marijuana by doctors to treat psychological issues.
By Elias Cepeda
(“Where I come from, asking a guy if he’s on drugs will get you slapped, homie.”)
UFC welterweight Nick Diaz and his most recent positive test for marijuana after competing against Carlos Condit at UFC 143 in Las Vegas, may present Nevada with a first of its kind disciplinary situation, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer. Diaz is a resident of California, where medical marijuana has been legal since 2003, and the fighter has said that he has been prescribed marijuana by doctors to treat psychological issues.
He has also stated in the past that he attempts to flush traces of cannabis out of his system in the weeks leading up to his fights in order to pass drug tests. However Diaz’s most recent positive test result for for the drug, which scrapped a planned immediate rematch with Condit, is the second such one in less than five years.
According to Kizer, though, Diaz had another option: coming to the NSAC weeks before fighting and applying for a therapeutic exemption (TUE) for his marijuana use.
Given that Diaz’ coach and manager, Cesar Gracie, has made a point of saying that Diaz has a legal right to use marijuana in California since a doctor prescribed it to him, one would have expected Diaz to have applied for the exemption with the commission.
But that did not happen Kizer explains, as no one from Diaz’ camp has ever attempted to explain any mitigating circumstances to him about the fighter’s marijuana use or tried to contextualize it to attempt for Nick to granted a therapeutic exemption. “I have no idea what [Diaz’s] marijuana situation is,” Kizer told CagePotato on Thursday. “No one from his camp has ever come to me or the commission and tried to explain it.”
Kizer says that therapeutic exemptions are made when fighters and their doctors can convince the NSAC and its physicians that a prescribed treatment is specifically needed to address a legitimate health issue of the athlete and that the medication does not put the fighter at undue risk as a competitor or give them an unfair advantage over their opponents. Sometimes, as in the case of some antidepressants, the NSAC and its doctors feel that a fighter’s condition is legitimate and that they do require treatment, but alternative medications are needed because the one initially chosen by the fighter and their doctors are deemed not safe for competitors to use by the Nevada commission.
Kizer also points out that each case is looked at individually and that if fighters approach the commission a few weeks before their fights to request a therapeutic exemption, typically that is enough time for the NSAC evaluation process to take place and for his governing body to make a decision on whether or not to grant the fighter the exception.
In the past fighters have applied for exemptions for the use of testosterone replacement therapy and more traditional prescription drugs for psychological issues, but Kizer said that no one during his tenure has ever applied for a therapeutic exemption for prescribed marijuana use. This includes Diaz.
“I’ve never had that – a fighter saying they want to use marijuana for medicinal purposes,” he said.
Although he says that he can imagine certain drugs never being accepted for therapeutic use in Nevada, like the anabolic steroid nandrolone, Kizer stops short of saying that medical marijuana would be one of them.
The commission mailed a complaint to Diaz after his positive test after UFC 143 and he can now respond to the complaint, which is essentially at this point just an allegation. Some time this spring Diaz will likely have a hearing with the NSAC where he can plead his case and the commission will then make its findings. Gracie said recently that Diaz has retained legal counsel for the process.
Even though he did not come to the NSAC prior to any of his fights under their jurisdiction to apply for a therapeutic exemption, he can still essentially make the case that he should be granted one during the hearing.
Fighters can, in effect, explain the reasons why they took the banned substance and ask that the commission grant them an exemption to use them, Kizer says. “Sure they can. We’ve had that with athletes before where they come into their hearings and say that they did this or took that, explain mitigating circumstances and argue that they should be allowed to have done so,” he recalls.
With medical marijuana still being relatively new in the state of California — a hotbed for mixed martial arts fighters and teams — it will be interesting to see if more and more fighters begin to ask for exemptions to use it, and how the NSAC responds to their arguments.
*Correction made at 1:23 pm ET on 02/17/2011: Mr. Kizer contacted CagePotato.com to clarify that although a fighter can argue that he or she should be granted an exemption for a banned substance and that their fine and suspension be reduced due to mitigating factors that necessitated the use of the prescribed drugs, NSAC will not retroactively grant a TUE for a substance that was not approved prior to the bout in question.
