Does adrenaline really give you an extra edge in a fight? And can this be replicated artificially? In this episode of Sports Science John Brenkus and his team look to find out the effects of natural adrenaline vs artificial adrenaline in this mixed martial arts experiment.

The guinea pig in this experiment was none other than UFC veteran Houston Alexander. Right before a fight a change does happen, this rage starts building up.

To start off the experiment they have Houston Alexander wired up alongside a crash test dummy to measure the power of his punches without any adrenaline to serve as the control for the experiment. The result generates 600lbs of force.

The next stage was to create the first variable by getting Houston to generate natural adrenaline which was achieved by his coach Mike Doyle.

I want all that rage you experienced when you lost and all the disappointment.

A clearly emotional and fired up Houston launched into the dummy which generated in 1000lbs of force, 400lb more than the control.

With these two tests conducted there was one more test to run, the use of synthetic adrenaline.

The doctor proceeds to administer a 0.6 milligram shot of Epinephrine into Houston’s thigh which causes his heart rate to spike.

I feel it running through my veins.

Showing no signs of abnormality, the experiment is safe to continue and Houston is wired back up with the dummy to do the final test.

Part 1:

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Part 2: 

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Unleashing a barrage of right hands onto the dummy’s head, the effects of the synthetic adrenaline are clearly seen on Houston. Incredible the results come in and they’re surprising to say the least with the synthetic punch generating 900lb of force, slightly less than the natural experiment.

The second punch you threw created the most force John explains to Houston
Wow so a lot of fighters are in trouble.

Full results:
Control: 600lbs of force
Natural Adrenaline: 1000lbs of force
Synthetic Adrenaline: 900lbs of force