The Nevada State Athletic Commission has adopted new thresholds for
several previously prohibited substances, according to a report
from
MMAjunkie.com.
During a meeting on Tuesday, thresholds were approved for the
following substances: GW1516, dehydrochloromethyltestosterone
(DHCMT) long-term metabolite (M3), clomiphene, epitrenbolone
(trenbolone metabolite), and selective androgen receptor modulators
(SARMS). The new policy is designed to help distinguish between
drug tests results that are “atypical” and those that are
“adverse.”
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NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen offered further details on the
newly-approved policy in a statement.
“Any positive test of a proposed substance which is below the
respective proposed threshold would be considered atypical
requiring additional investigation,” Mullen said. “This
investigation may include, but not be limited to, review of the
fighter’s test history, interviews, and possible additional
testing. The results will remain atypical absent evidence that
would negate the presence of mitigation associated with the
below-threshold amount. If additional evidence eliminated
mitigating circumstances, the case would proceed through standard
disciplinary proceedings. These disciplinary proceedings would
include the filing of a formal disciplinary complaint, as well as
the possible issuance of a temporary suspension.”
The UFC and anti-doping partner USADA had previously instituted a
similar threshold policy for the aforementioned supplements. UFC
chief business officer Hunter
Campbell was on hand for the meeting to advocate for the change
in policy, pointing out that many of the “atypical” results do not
provide performance-enhancing results for athletes.
“What we’ve seen through the years is there is a certain threshold
you’re far more likely to see in contamination rather than
intentional use,” Campbell said. “More importantly, what you’re
going to see at certain picogram levels, particularly under one
nanogram, under 100 picograms, what you’re going to see is no
performance-enhancing benefits. One of the things we try to
diligently do, considering the amount of events we hold in the
state of Nevada, is we try to get the commission to adopt a level
of thresholds that would allow these athletes to compete when one,
there was no intentional use, and two, there was no
performance-enhancing advantage.”
One prominent example is the case of Jon Jones, who
tested positive for trace amounts of the M3 metabolite — dating
back to a failed drug test in July 2017 — ahead of his UFC 232
title bout against Alexander
Gustafsson in December 2018. That resulted in the event being
moved from Las Vegas to California on short notice when the NSAC
refused to license Jones. According to Campbell, that’s on
ongoing situation for Jones.
“I believe on occasion Jon still tests positive for the M3
metabolite, in terms of its residual form,” Campbell said. “We’ve
seen that consistently, not just with the M3 metabolite, but with
substances like clomiphene. There are substances that are just, for
lack of a better term, sticky. They stay in your system for an
extended period of time. Again, it’s about fairness to the
athletes, too. And from a business perspective, being transparent
about the certainty of saying when you have an athlete in this
situation, we bring big events to the city, it puts us in a
difficult spot where we have a high degree of confidence when
talking to the scientists like Dr. (Daniel) Eichner, that this is
residual. We don’t want to jeopardize or risk a big event here in
town with a guy who continues to test positive for residual amounts
of contaminated supplements that dates back three or four
years.”
The approved thresholds for the previously prohibited substances
are as follows:
SARMs – 0.1 ng/ml
GW1516 and its metabolites – 0.1 ng/ml
Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT) long-term metabolite (M3) –
0.1 ng/ml
Clomiphene/clomifene – 0.1 ng/ml
Epitrenbolone (trenbolone metabolite) – 0.2 ng/ml