If you assumed that boxers and mixed martial arts participants were getting drug tested on a regular basis, you’d be partly right. The problem has been one of “Who pays?” A new law in Nevada answers that question – ticket buyers pay.
Currently, from 50 cents to a dollar of each ticket sold to a professional fighting event goes to promote fighting sports in Nevada. The new law allows some of this money to be diverted to fund drug testing in athletes. Testing would be random and focus on those who might be using steroids or other performance enhancing substances. Not as strict as the Olympics, but enough to get the attention of those in the sport.
The comments on fighter forums are predictably mixed. From the SherDog Forum we get such gems as, “I feel like we're gonna see some dudes start shrinking.” And, “WTF? What a waste. Why waste money on this?”
Part of the change is that fighters will now be tested out of a fight cycle. This means that if they are registered and in training, they can be tested. Doing it this way makes it more difficult to practice “cycling” – a period on steroids to bulk up with a washout period before a fight. Traditionally, MMA fighting hasn’t drawn big enough money to use more sophisticated methods to disguise use. Things like custom, synthetic analogs are know in other sports.
It will be interesting for fans to track which popular fighter now refuses to attend events in Nevada. Careerwise, it isn’t a good move to avoid our state. With gambling available, Nevada is a strong venue for the fighting sports, both MMA and boxing. Expect to see a few in the news before the industry starts taking this new law seriously. It’s always the way.
