ANY FIGHTER WHO ignores the new UFC’s ban on intravenous (IV) rehydration is risking a two-year suspension from competing.
That’s according to Jeff Novitzky, who was appointed as the UFC’s vice president of athlete health and performance earlier this year, heading up the organisation’s strict new anti-doping programme.
One element of that programme will see a clampdown on fighters who use IV drips to rehydrate after weigh-ins. IVs can be used to mask the presence of performance-enhancing drugs — a common practice in cycling, Novitzky told The MMA Hour.
The use of IVs will subsequently be prohibited in the UFC from 1 October, which means the ban will be in place by the time Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo lock horns at UFC 194 in Las Vegas on 12 December.
In his latest exclusive column here on The42, McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh was adamant that the ban wouldn’t be an issue for McGregor as he had researched alternative methods of oral rehydration which will have “the exact same impact” as an IV.
But Aldo appears to be insistent on taking the opposite approach. In a recent interview, the UFC featherweight champion vowed to ignore the IV ban and carry on as normal, claiming that the UFC won’t be able to prove any wrongdoing.
“I will continue to do IV, I don’t care,” Aldo said. “I’ll tell them I’m going to eat and do it instead. They won’t take me out of the fucking fight, so I don’t care. They can say whatever they want, but it’s scientifically proven to be the best way to rehydrate.”
However, Novitzky says athlete’s biological passports will reveal if their blood and urine have been diluted by the use of an IV. Athletes can also be exposed by the presence of plastics found in an IV in their system.
Novitzky said: “The risk versus reward under this programme; I mean, if someone is found out to have taken an IV then you’re facing a potential two-year ban, which is a long time in the UFC and in MMA.”
He added: “It is something that [fighters] are going to have to deal with. Whether it means walking around when fights aren’t scheduled a little closer to that fight weight, whether it means — which hopefully it does — being educated through us and through others on how to properly orally rehydrate.
“The studies and science show that as long as the dehydration isn’t too severe, oral rehydration is actually better for you. It’s safer for you. Studies show that you’ll feel like exercise is a little bit easier and you’re exerting less if you orally hydrate.”
H/T: MMAFighting.com
