I’ve been friends with Jensen for nearly 15 years and was with him the whole month of March in Albuquerque, helping with his training camp at Greg Jackson’s. Ryan has had ADD/ADHD for as long as I’ve known him. He disclosed his prescription use of Adderall during his pre-fight physical in late February. On Wednesday, March 25th, he faxed paperwork for his sponsors, etc, and again disclosed his prescription as well.

Nothing was said until he was about to weigh in, on Tuesday, March 31st.

The last time Jensen took the medication was the morning of Monday, March 30th — and it was only 5 mg, which is a very small dose relative to what others with ADD/ADHD take. It is not uncommon for individuals to take up to 150 mg daily.

Seconds before Jensen and Steinbeiss were to go on stage for weigh-ins, the Tennessee State AC stopped them, and said that they could not fight because Jensen’s prescribed medication is a banned substance.

Former Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and current Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the UFC, Marc Ratner, argued with Tennessee officials on Jensen’s behalf. The Tennessee AC said that the prescription medication Ritalin (methylphenidate) was allowed, but not Adderall. Both drugs are FDA approved for the treatment of ADD/ADHD, and act as Central Nervous System stimulants. Their method of action is virtually identical, with similar side effects.

The half life of Adderall is 11-13 hours, and given the dose Jensen was taking, he would have in all likelihood passed the post-fight drug test. In fact, Jensen volunteered to take a drug test on Tuesday, March 31st, to prove that the medication was out of his system. The Tennessee AC would not administer a drug test, and told him that he could not fight on Wednesday, April 1st.

For the record, Jensen has disclosed the use of his prescription medication since day one. The Athletic Commissions in California, Ohio, Nebraska, Iowa, etc. did not have a problem with it, and obviously allowed him to fight.

Like I stated, numerous state athletic commissions have allowed him to compete, and he has had a legitimate prescription for years. He provided the Tennessee AC documentation from his physician, as well as documentation from other state commissions that had cleared him to fight in the past, while using his prescribed medication.

For what it’s worth, I don’t necessarily agree with using pharmaceuticals to treat many cases of ADD/ADHD in children and young adults. I think that improved parenting, teaching styles, etc, could be very beneficial for youths with the disability.

With that being said, I have witnessed firsthand in Jensen the effectiveness in his day-to-day quality of life, etc. from the use of prescription Adderall.

Ryan is honest and was candid regarding his Adderall Rx. The Tennessee AC dropped the ball on this. Jensen did everything expected of him as a fighter — he showed up well prepared, in shape, and made weight. The TN AC are the ones who should be scrutinized…