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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"Obviously, there are circumstances where people have a legitimate need for it. Maybe they're in their forties or they were born with one ball, or something like that. I actually do know a fighter who only has one ball, so maybe in those cases, where their bodies don't produce enough testosterone naturally, they need to supplement to get to normal levels.
Then there's guys like Vitor, who are previous steroid users, and steroids have been known to lower your testosterone levels, yet they're still getting cleared to fight overseas, just so they can use the exemption. There's guys that are in their twenties that are on testosterone, which is a joke. It's becoming too rampant in our sport. Everyone is getting qualified for the exemption.
It's almost like a cover up. You know, being a fighter, you hear things, and these guys are way over their limits, and they're doing everything under the sun, winding down or cycling down to get their levels in the legal limits. Everyone is cheating the system, and I think there needs to be more testing done throughout the camps, and at the fight. I understand that they'll probably never do it, because it jeopardizes those big fights. That puts a lot of money at risk, but I'd like to see more testing. I'd like to see the playing field leveled out."
-Luke Rockhold expands on his feelings regarding testosterone replacement therapy in an interview with BloodyElbow.com
Penick's Analysis: Rockhold's not the only one who wants to see more testing, and he's really echoing the thoughts of other clean athletes and fans frustrated with the permeation of TRT in the sport. That said, it's still a small percentage of the fighters in the organization actually being granted exemptions, and it's not quite as big an epidemic as it seems, but the high profile nature of several fighters makes it seem like there are more, because we're hearing about it a lot more often because of that profile. Belfort's case especially is significantly troubling, because it's not likely he'd be granted an exemption in the states, but his last two fights while on TRT have been in Brazil under a new commission working with the UFC. It's shady at best and doesn't let many believe his use is on the level even if they aren't bothered by TRT when used properly.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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