Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight and part-time light heavyweight, Vitor Belfort, is sick and tired of answering questions about his testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and could have you beaten up if you persist on pestering him.
Unfortunately, it comes with the territory.
And in his case, that can be taken literally. Ever since "The Phenom" was outed as a testosterone taker, he's failed to appear on any subsequent mixed martial arts (MMA) cards held in the United States. In fact, his upcoming rematch against Dan Henderson, set for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 32 event at Goiania Arena on Nov. 9, 2013 (details), will be his third straight in Brazil.
Because that's where he sells tickets.
But UFC President Dana White insists it's not to protect "The Phenom" from stateside regulators, because the former two-division champion is also tested in Brazil. In fact, Marcio Tannure, medical director of the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission, recently put his stamp of approval on the process.
The same process that has now been labeled as "non compliant" with the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL).
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently announced it would revoke the accreditation of the LADETEC anti-doping laboratory in Rio de Janeiro. Beginning Sept. 25, the lab will no longer be authorized to carry out the testing of doping control samples on behalf of WADA or any other testing authority.
From the official release:
The decision made by WADA's Executive Committee marks the second time the Rio laboratory has fallen below the required standards set by WADA. The laboratory was also suspended for nine months in January 2012, before being reinstated following a WADA site visit that ensured the proper corrective actions had been implemented.
LADETEC has three weeks to appeal the decision, which could leave the country in a lurch with no recognized accredited lab heading into the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Belfort thinks it's a good idea to have guys on TRT fighting in Brazil (see those comments here) because, as he says, the country is notoriously strict when it comes to testing. What happens to those tests between the lab and the commission is a mystery, but it apparently didn't sit well with WADA.
Now what?
How, when and where Belfort -- or any other MMA fighter on TRT -- get tested in Brazil remains to be seen. Henderson took himself off the treatment for his UFC 161 fight against Rashad Evans earlier this year in Winnipeg, but has not indicated if his decision was a permanent one.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this developing story in the coming days.