...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
With the conversation around TRT becoming more heated recently in regards to Vitor Belfort, we asked MMATorch readers on Monday whether his use in particular bothers them more than other fighters on the treatment, or whether it's just TRT use in general they have a problem with. Here's the first batch of responses:
Tom P. (via email): This does bother me. This man has been popped before for steroids. It also bothers me that the UFC will let this happen especially after Dana White has publicly stated he is against it. Not only are they letting it happen but they are making it easy for him to cheat by letting him fight in Brazil where there is no commission to test him (ed. note: Brazil has a new commission that has granted Belfort an exemption, but the circumstances surrounding the exemption and testing are murky, at best). Belfort stated that it is not the TRT but his skill, but how do we know that without it he would be able to kick as fast and as hard? A slower and weaker kick would not have put Bisping or Rockhold down. In one sentence Belfort has stated he needs it to be able to compete, but when asked about it he says his wins are because of skill. That is a contradiction. If he was so skilled, fast, and strong on his own then he wouldn't need TRT.
MMATorch Forum User BFoe: Both. It's bothersome across the board; MMA has an inordinate amount of people on TRT, far more than would be expected based on how often hypogonadism occurs. Of course Dan Henderson has low T - he's 103 years old! It acts as a PED in those types of scenarios, as I doubt Hendo could compete on the level that he does without it. Vitor is a more concerning case, as he has a history of steroid use, and seems to take no responsibility for the fact that he's taking testosterone under dubious circumstances. It's easy to say, "Oh it's not steroids, it's just TRT," but Vitor's physique seemed noticeably different than it was when he fought Silva. He's always been in good shape, but he's definitely bigger right now. Add in the fact that he's having a difficult time getting this exemption in the U.S., and it's a pretty shady situation.
Matthew D. (via Facebook): The TRT thing bothers me because I can't know whether Vitor really is that good or is it just because of the therapy.
In theory, I don't mind TRT as long as it's due to a (very rare) disability and the testing is completely transparent; however, when it's someone who has gotten popped for steroids before and is only fighting in their home country (where, let's face it, how can there not be certain biases?), it rings completely false.
I also don't buy the age excuse, because as a fighter ages, they slow down physically but are supposed to get more savvy with experience. Older fighters who are allowed to have that extra experience but also the stamina/speed/recovery of a much younger althlete have a potentially unfair advantage. Part of aging is your T level goes down, deal with it and fight smarter.
Casey C. (via email): Belfort's TRT doesn't really bother me so much as the bigger problem of TRT in MMA in general. When an athlete takes testosterone it is cheating. If certain athletes cannot enjoy the benefits of steroids while others can it is an unfair advantage.
The MMA community needs to call TRT what it really is: prescribed anabolic steroids. Doping has become such a widespread problem that fighters who have been busted for doping in the past can visit a doctor to undo the damage that previous anabolic steroid use has done to their body.
Look at Alistair Overeem; he came off the gear and fought Bigfoot with dangerously low testosterone levels. I think it's unfair as much as I enjoy Overeem's fights that he can go to a doctor now to get the anabolic steroids he now needs to compete. Exactly like Vitor Belfort is doing, who has been busted in the past.
This all speaks to the larger problem of anabolic steroid use in MMA. To make all things even all athletes should be allowed to use steroids. The cat is out of the bag. Now that athletes in all sports know the benefit of these performance enhancing drugs we will never ever have completely natural athletes.
Jeremy T. (via Facebook): It bothers me across the board. Life's not always fair. Some people have certain medical conditions that limit or prevent people from participation. For example, Casey Martin sued for the ability to use a cart on the PGA tour, and he lost. If a fighter needs to use TRT to compete then he should not compete. If the fighter gets an injury that causes this limitation then he should not compete either. There needs to be limitations on what types of treatment we allow fighters, and just because there's a treatment to supplement what the body lacks the ability to provide does not mean its wise to do so, or to allow a fighter to do so.
Kenny D. (via Facebook): What bothered me the most about Vitor is his arrogance towards his TRT use. Not only shrugging off a question about it at the post fight conference but acting like no one should even be allowed to ask him about it. If he came out and explained his reasoning behind it I think people would be less harsh about him using it. On that note I also think anyone using it (Hendo included) is getting away with cheating to great longevity in the sport.
(Attention MMATorch app users: Make sure to upgrade to the latest edition of the MMATorch app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device!)
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
