White backs physician call for TRT ban
“Drugs hurt us,” said Dana White. “Hurts our sport. Let alone our perception in the media and everything — it destroys great athletes.”
The Association of Ringside Physicians’ recently called for the elimination of testosterone replacement therapy in mixed martial arts. UFC President Dana White said he was “thrilled” by the call, and noted that government athletic commissions should close the TRT loophole permanently.
“The doctors came out and said they want to ban it? Well, that’s the answer,” White told The AP on Monday. “It’s legal in the sport. The commissions let you do it. You get an exemption, and you have to be monitored and all the stuff that’s going on, but if they’re going to do away with it? There you go. It’s a problem solved.”
“He drives me crazy, and me and Vitor were not on good terms a few months ago,” White said. “Just because this whole TRT thing, I think, is unfair, and I said we’re going to test the living s— out of him [during training]. And we have, and he has complied, and he has been within the limits he’s supposed to have.”
Although the UFC tests its fighters when they sign contracts and adds additional in-house testing before certain fights, White said he’s wary of completely stepping in front of government regulators on the issue.
“We couldn’t be more proactive,” White said. “Drugs hurt us. Hurts our sport. Let alone our perception in the media and everything — it destroys great athletes. Drugs destroy great athletes, because once you start on them, you can never get off them. You’re on them for the rest of your career.”
