One of the most controversial medical treatments in professional sports has been banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as of Thursday afternoon.
Testosterone replacement therapy, which has become more and more commonplace in mixed martial arts in recent years, was prohibited by the NSAC via a unanimous vote on Thursday afternoon in a completely unexpected move by the fight community.
The ban will make TRT usage exemptions a thing of the past, even for athletes who had obtained one in the past.
Dr. Tim Trainor, the consulting physician of the board since 2007, advised the members that hypogonadism (when the body stops producing sufficient levels of testosterone) occurs in less than 1 percent of adults and an issue more commonly arise more commonly from previous anabolic steroid abuse.
Following Trainor’s presentation, NSAC commissioner Raymond “Skip” Avansino made a motion to ban TRT usage exemptions, with Chairman Francisco Aguilar noting that the exemption process took up too many resources with little to no benefit to the board.
Commissioners Avansino and Pat Lundvall also urged their fellow board members that exemptions issued by other states did not need to be honored.
The UFC issued a statement supporting the NSAC's ruling:
“The Ultimate Fighting Championship fully supports the decision made today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission regarding the immediate termination of therapeutic use exemptions (TUE) for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT),” the statement says.
“We believe our athletes should compete based on their natural abilities and on an even playing field. We also intend to honor this ruling in international markets where, due to a lack of governing bodies, the UFC oversees regulatory efforts for our live events. We encourage all athletic commissions to adopt this ruling.”
The blockbuster ruling comes about two months prior to upcoming middleweight title challenger Vitor Belfort, the most heavily criticized user of TRT, squaring off with 185-pound champ Chris Weidman.
“The Phenom” tested positive for the anabolic steroid 4-hydroxytestosterone after a decision loss to Dan Henderson in October 2006, leading many to believe he would not be granted a TRT usage exemption for his title scrap with Weidman.
Also worth noting is that NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer resigned roughly six weeks ago in order to pursuer a job within the Nevada Attorney General’s office. A replacement is yet to be named, though the board seems to be operating just fine in the interim.