I think this broke last night, but I was half asleep catching up on the TV I’d missed while passed out this weekend. So, yeah, BJ Penn failed a USADA test and is out of his UFC 199 fight with Cole Miller. He used an IV over and above the standard. I believe this makes him the first fighter to fail for using an IV. I theory, this means Penn’s career is over, though I suppose USADA could give him a lesser penalty (as they randomly did for Yoel Romero).
“I voluntarily disclosed to USADA that during a non-fight period that I had an IV administered under the care of a doctor. The rule for IV usage had changed since my last fight in the UFC and was unaware of the change and voluntarily disclosed the information to USADA. I had no idea that IV use was banned 365 days a year. At no time in my career in martial arts have I ever doped and anticipate all test results from USADA will come back clean and will be working with the UFC to get the matter cleared up and return to fight as soon as possible.”
I mean, that’s not a bad excuse as far as excuses go. I actually could see someone messing that up. On the other hand, Penn had previously tweeted about IV use:
I love the new PED and IV ban in the UFC. I never took an IV in my life after a weigh-in. IVs are for wimps! #BeerAndHotDogs
In fairness, he does say “after a weigh-in.” I kinda know what he’s saying but maybe if he had used an IV he might’ve made weight a bit easier…
This sucks because I do understand that the IV ban is in place to prevent the masking of PEDs but I dunno because it seems weird. From every Russian on earth failing for something that was legal last year and is over the counter to the IV ban, it seems like a lot of these infractions are for gains that are minor, if there are gains at all.
If suspended 2 years, Penn would have to be done as a fighter. If so, what a sad end: 1-5, allegations of beating a woman, allegations of cocaine use, and now a PED failure.
You need to take part in a contest for one of the best sites on the web. I am going to recommend this blog!
A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you need to write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people do not discuss such subjects. To the next! Cheers!!
Heya i’m the very first time here. I stumbled on this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me to out a lot.
I really hope to present something back and help others as if you helped me.
Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Many thanks
Another thing.. I think I am about the only comment person on this site other than the writers.
What gives with that?
> You’re much cooler than them. We also tend not to write stuff that is ultra inflammatory.
There is stuff that gets a lot of comments but it’s mostly the joke movie stuff we do.
I pretty much call bullshit on fighter excuses when they fail. . So, IF he has a documented issue that a doctor was helping him with, then I can go with his story.
If he doesn’t then as far as I am concerned it was likely masking blood doping and he should be out.
Most of the guys who protest seem to end up not having any evidence to back it up. (Even the silliness of Mir and his Kangaroo meat he wouldn’t even submit a list of restaurants he ate at that week to at least try to sound credible… which didn’t matter as the drug he got busted for is not used for anything to do with growing Kangaroos in Australia and there is little to no science to show that an animal raised on steroids then killed, transported, cooked, and eaten, can get that steroid in your blood stream after all that time).
On a happy note, I am happy to see so many people getting busted this year and all the noticeable physique changes and glass jaws. That tells me that the testing is working, guys are getting off of a lot of their PED’s, and the punishments are real.
No fighter is 100% clean, ever. Everyone takes something to enhance performance even if it is not on a USADA / WADA ban list. THe PED’s they have to take now to survive the testing regime are a lot less than the old days, and in some cases may not even be making much of a performance difference because the” good stuff” is so easily caught. It’s good for the sport and I am ok with whatever stuff guys are taking now because they can’t do all the junk they did in the past.
Apparently a doctor was involved so I bet you he will be able to get this reduced. IV’s are not banned out of competition, they just have restrictions on the amount you can use within certain time frames (because that is what masks PEDs).
The question always begs… why do you need an IV out of competition… usual answer of course is to take it regularly to mask PED use in case a tester shows up (which again is why they have limits on the amounts).
There are real reasons to need an IV… dehydration from over training, getting a flu bug, you name it… so, if he has a doctor that can back that up, he should get through this.
He should appeal this and I think he has a good case to get it down to 6 months or something.
Unless of course, there is more to the story……….
IIRC, and if I was a competent writer I’d have put this in initially, he was found to have used more than is permitted. I suppose he could be using one as part of normal training – which would only make me happy because it means he probably cared a lot this time.