MD: NSAC should increase PED penalty to 2-4 years
Ringside physician Dr. Anthony Ruggeroli appeared at a Nevada State Athletic Commission symposium, and suggest PED penalties be increased to two to four years.
The standard penalty in mixed martial arts for failing a Performance Enhancing Drug test for the first time is 30% of purse, a nine-month suspension, and if the fight was won, officially changing the result to a No Contest.
Those penalties are insufficient to successfully discourage the use of PEDs.
Fighters in the UFC compete on average twice a year, so the nine month suspension is practically speaking just 90 days more than they would have taken off already. Due to injuries, countless fighters take off nine-month stretches. It is an easy bid.
Having a fight changed to NC is not a big deal. Dennis Siver tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) last year, and had his unanimous decision over Manny Gamburyan changed to an NC. Ten months later he beat Charles Rosa, and then he got the biggest fight of his life, vs. Conor McGregor at UFC Fight Night 59 on Jan 18. Barely a year had passed since he failed the test.
Siver made $66,000 ($33,000 to show, $33,000 to win) at UFC 168. His fine was 30% of the purse, or $19,800. Siver still made a lot more than he would have if he lost.
The squeeze in MMA for PEDs makes it worth it to juice. It’s math.
However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission recently held a symposium, and heard advice to increase penalties.
Boxers and MMA fighters should be suspended from fighting in Nevada for two to four years if found to be using steroids or prohibited stimulants, a ringside physician said today.
Dr. Anthony Ruggeroli, speaking at a drug testing symposium sponsored by the Nevada Athletic Commission, also said fighters should face a one to two-year suspension for using diuretics.
Another ringside physician, Dr. David Watson, said drug testing should be random, even a couple days apart.
The commission has not had a symposium like this for five years, but recent cases of fighters testing positive for both performance and recreational drugs have the commission looking for ways to keep mixed martial arts and boxing clean.
The commission is hearing today from experts in the fields of drug testing and performance enhancing drugs, several of whom are advocating for increased out-of-competition drug testing.
Last year the World Anti Doping Agency upped the penalty for first time PED test failures from two years to four. The second failure is a life ban.