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By: Brad Walker MMATorch Columnist
Before I begin, let me state this: I know there are many cases where testosterone is used improperly in the sport of mixed martial arts, that is not in question. On the other hand, I think that fighters who are in need of treatment using testosterone replacement is not really affecting the sport or their win/loss ratio, nor do I believe it should be outlawed. The UFC is very much a "take no s*** kind of company, so do you really believe if TRT was being used in lieu of steroids that Dana White would sit back and do or say nothing? C'mon now, this is a guy whose necessity to vocalize things puts Joe Pesci's character in the "Lethal Weapon" franchise to shame. TRT is used primarily by people who actually need it, and I do believe regardless of why it's necessary they shouldn't be told no.
For instance, Chael Sonnen suffers very openly from Hypogonadism which causes a decrease in testosterone production, an increase in fatigue, and shockingly sometimes onsets because of a lack of full development due to puberty. Sure, the cases suffered by Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and many others are highly unlikely to have hailed from puberty, but is it wrong to want to live a normal life? All that is going on with their treatment is the regulation of their body systems to within a normal range for a man of their age. TRT is not given in doses that will make a 38 year old move and fight like a 20 year old; it will make him move and fight like a 38 year old with normal testosterone. So tell me, if it's just making these guys their normal selves without all the nasty effects of hypogonadism – is it so wrong?
Vitor Belfort is clearly the most successful fighter on TRT right now, and it's become the go to excuse for the people he mangles inside of the cage. What most people tend to forget is that long before his issues he was already mauling people in the cage without hesitation – he hasn't gotten better because of TRT – he has simply gotten smarter during his fights. Chael Sonnen has been on TRT for years now, and he has been fighting at the lowest level of his career, Frank Mir is on the same tab as Sonnen on that one. Dan Henderson is probably the last spoken about fighter who uses the treatment, but he also has been using it for years because of legitimately life threatening health problems, and would probably be unable to walk without it. The list of fighters on TRT who don't do any better is significantly longer than the list of fighters who have continued to fight at the elite level while using it.
Some fighters are kind of a wash as to whether or not they are remaining at a particular level of talent while undergoing TRT therapy – others fail miserably. This is further proof to the obvious; TRT isn't making fighters any better, at all, in any way – and no that's not an excuse because I like to watch Vitor fight. When news of TRT first broke, I didn't flinch, I didn't blink and my only real response was to go "well no kidding, these men need to function just as a normal human does, why are we throwing stones at them?" TRT is NOT steroids, it doesn't come anywhere near it either, and the myth that it is makes people repeating it look downright silly. Steroid use can often lead to one having to hop on the TRT train, but the level of performance is not increased as so many seem to think and advocate as the truth.
I have a family member who, due to a decreased testosterone level needed to go onto the therapy, and continues to this day. He doesn't work out any harder, he isn't any stronger or faster, but he certainly doesn't feel like crap 24 hours a day any more. It is a treatment used to repair the body and bring it to normality, not to elevate the body and push it to new limits of athleticism. It is actually rather common amongst the average male population, although it is more likely to be abused by an average every day man who wants a better libido than it is by a MMA fighter. Think twice and do some research, TRT is not ruining MMA, rather MMA is ruining our perception of the legit necessity for TRT.
Thank you for reading, follow me on Twitter @BradMMATorch
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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