This is a guest editorial by Jonathan Tweedale, Commissioner with the Vancouver Athletic Commission.

Nick Diaz's recent post-fight positive test after UFC 143 for marijuana has caused many fight enthusiasts to ask: "Why do they test for marijuana anyway?"

The answer to that question, along with a review of Nevada's applicable regulatory provision, suggests that there is no basis for disciplinary sanction of Mr. Diaz unless he administered or used marijuana immediately prior to or within several hours in advance of his fight.

Cannabinoids as Prohibited Substances

Cannabinoids are prohibited substances for fighters licensed in Nevada by virtue of NAC 467.850(2)(f), which incorporates by reference all prohibited substances on the current Prohibited List published by the World Anti-Doping Agency ("WADA").

More On Nick Diaz
In Defense of Diaz's Weed Habit | Diaz Is to Blame, But So Are Meaningless Marijuana Tests | Diaz Should Be Released By The UFC | Diaz' Drug Test Failure Was Inevitable |White: 'I Am Beyond Disappointed' | Fighters React to Diaz's Positive Drug Test | Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana

Cannabinoids - specifically, natural (e.g. cannabis, hashish, marijuana) and synthetic delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as cannabimimetics - are included on WADA's Prohibited List. The status of cannabinoids as either legal or illegal under applicable criminal law - or, e.g., ‘legal with a doctor's note' - is immaterial. The determinative fact for fight licensing purposes is that cannabinoids are included on WADA's Prohibited List.

Cannabinoids are only prohibited "in competition". WADA expressly permits the use of marijuana and other cannabinoids outside of competition. Nevada is no different. A random, out of competition positive test for marijuana should not engender disciplinary sanction under the NAC's regulations.

More after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

Continue reading this post »

If you haven't read Jonah Lehrer's article on concussions, and the teenage brain over at Grantland, I suggest you do so. It's a fascinating scientific exploration of why brain trauma is so critical in teenagers: the teenage brain is itself experiencing a critical period. It's like throwing a banana peel underneath the foot of a runner in the 100 meter dash. In the context of neural development, your brain (particularly the frontal cortex, which is important for judgment and impulse control) is scrambling to get near the finish line while you're a teenager.

The statistics reveal this growing reality, as the Journal of Pediatrics show that 144 thousand individuals under the age of 18 are treated for concussions in the emergency room every year. It's actually kind of shocking to think MMA has yet to truly confront this problem, but then we have no amateur system to truly chronicle.

However, that's not to say the problem doesn't exist. Recently, Satoshi Ishii, an Olympic Judoka who was once the ‘talk of the town', suffered a brain injury in his Fedor bout, in this case cerebral edema, that will likely end his career (Ryo Chonan is denying the report, however, explaining that Ishii is fine).

When it comes to the ‘concussion crisis', there always seems to be a new angle to explore. We hear whispers about concussions being associated with depression, and perhaps addiction. We hear whispers about concussions and their associations with Parkinson's. The latest angle connects concussions with Lou Gehrig's disease (or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). It's a connection that has given birth to an actual disorder: as a riff on CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), this new worry has been dubbed chronic traumatic encephalomyelopathy (CTEM).

Continue reading this post »

Brent Brookhouse: There has been a long-standing debate regarding Jose Aldo and if he can be considered in the pound-for-pound debate or if the featherweight division simply isn't good enough for him to have a credible argument. With eleven straight wins on Zuffa cards and this latest dominant win over Chad Mendes, has he done enough to make a legitimate case for a top five pound for pound fighter?

Tim Burke: He has absolutely made the case, and should comfortably sit in the top five. Featherweight might be thin, but he has been a lot of quality contenders, and a wide variety of opponents (wrestlers, strikers, etc). Two of the long-standing guys in the top three, Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, faced stretches where they didn't have the toughest competition across the cage from them. I don't think Aldo should be left out of the discussion just because his division is a little behind in development. I mean, what else does the guy have to do? Move up to 155?

Fraser Coffeen: I was one of the people who felt he was anointed top 5 too fast. But the Mendes fight finally closed it for me. Yes, he's top 5. The division is still a bit thin, but as Tim said, Anderson was fighting Cote and Leites and was widely considered #1. It's not always just who you face, it's also how impressive you look against them, and Aldo looked impressive in Rio. I guess for me what it comes down to is this - for him to not be top 5, you need to find 5 guys above him. Clearly Silva, Jones, and GSP are above. But then? Edgar is the only other really in contention I think.

Brent Brookhouse: I think Jon Fitch losing kind of takes some of the teeth out of the argument against Aldo. He was one of the fighters people thought belonged above Aldo for all his accomplishments as the long-time number two guy at welterweight who seemed like he could only be beaten by one guy (St. Pierre).

In a few months Aldo will be #3 in my eyes since standard ranking procedure says you remove a fighter who has been inactive for over a year (again, St. Pierre).

As Fraser said, you have to have five guys above him to not be top five and I think the guys in the P4P discussion right now are (in no order):

More after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

When you look back at the career of Dan Hardy up to this point, it's hard to believe he would one day be mocked the way that he has. Nobody really cares that he engaged in a war with Chris Lytle in August that was as exciting as it was brutal. What matters, at least to his critics, is that he got choked out while attempting a takedown in his fourth straight loss, illuminating a unique once-in-a-lifetime irony. An irony highlighted by Hardy's own mouth: he's always been vocal about wrestling, and his allegiance to the Nick Diaz school of pugilism.

Like Hardy's current career, it's hard to believe how fans so viciously turned on him. His style is entertaining. He's well rounded (except for his wrestling of course). He publicly, and quite eloquently defended MMA. And he doesn't come out to crap like STEMM, instead opting for the unique sound of Cock Sparrer's England Belongs to Me.

But none of that matters when you're brash, British, and got a title shot many fans look back on and scratch their heads over. Hardy was a proper contender in my opinion at a time when WW was still figuring itself out, but it doesn't change the fact that his performance did little to justify the shot in retrospect despite a supernatural display of musculoskeletal toughness.

What makes Ben Fowlkes' story on Dan Hardy so unique is that it allows readers to peer into a window many fans would have otherwise ignored, and provides a vivid look at the proverbial "fall from grace" narrative. Hardy has become a sort of pariah in the MMA world. 'What the hell is a guy that is currently 0-4 still doing in the UFC?', the critics ask.

Beneath the vitriol from fans that usually accompanies it is a completely fair question, and one Hardy himself is aware of. It calls into question consistency, 'why Hardy and not others?', and even prompts the cynical observation that it's only because Hardy "is British" that he's able to stay.

I think these criticisms ignore whether or not Hardy is worth keeping. Plenty of fighters wash out of the UFC and eventually return. But not all of them have fought for a title. Despite a record that indicates he isn't UFC-level, perhaps he deserves the benefit of the doubt. As for how Hardy feels:

"I don't feel like myself right now," Hardy says.

You look in his eyes and you know he means it. He sits slumped in a plush leather chair in the lobby of a posh downtown Toronto hotel. He speaks so softly you have to lean in close just to hear him. The last thing he wants to do these days is draw attention to himself. He knows what people are thinking. And even if they aren't thinking it, they might as well be, since he hears their accusations in the wordless glances from across the room. It's not just the fans, either.

"I start to feel like other fighters are looking at me like, why is he still in the UFC? And I don't want people looking at me like that."

Click here for the full article. Like any article by Fowlkes, it's well worth your time. He can be found at MMAFighting and on twitter @benfowlkesMMA. Previous entries after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

2011 may be one of the biggest years in MMA history. From the Strikeforce purchase to the UFC's deal with Fox, there were some incredible moments inside and outside of the cage. The Bloody Elbow Staff will be discussing the best moments of 2011 and posting the full conversations in the upcoming days. To kick things off, the staff discussed what was the best submission of 2011 and the overwhelming favorite was Frank Mir's kimura on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140. It was just so unexpected that many of us got caught up in the significance. The other popular choice was Chan Sung Jung's twister over Leonard Garcia. Just the fact that it's a low probability submission made it a clear contender. The fact that we'll likely never see it again kept it in the conversation.

Tim Burke: Chan Sung Jung's twister submission of Leonard Garcia. Case closed.

Josh Nason: Love that one, but want to nominate Tito Ortiz' guillotine win over Ryan Bader and Michael Chandler's rnc sub of Eddie Alvarez, the former for sentimental reasons and the latter because it was a big upset to close a great fight.

KJ Gould: Jon Jones' front chancery choke / prayer choke left a lasting impression, with the way Machida dropped after John McCarthy stopped the fight. No one had ever submitted Machida before, and Shogun remains the only one to knock him out cold.

Brent Brookhouse: I'm going to go with Mir's armbreaker over Nogueira. Nogueira had him practically KO'ed, then went for the choke, Mir survives the submission by a heavyweight MMA submissionlegend and gets his own kimura on and breaks the arm in half? That's submission of the year stuff for me.

Fraser Coffeen: Hate to repeat, but Brent has this. Many, myself included, assumed Mir vs. Nog II would be another standing battle, but instead we got the quick ground war between two Heavyweight Jiu Jitsu greats that we had hoped for - and then Mir snapped Nog's arm like a twig. Nasty? You bet. But clearly the sub of the year.

Ben Thapa: I was a big fan of Joe Lauzon's trimura and Pat Curran's Peruvian Necktie. Oh and lets not forget Vinny getting the gogoplata from mount in M-1.

Continue reading this post »

I'm not sure where the term "lay and pray" began. But I do remember the experience of being a frustrated viewer while watching Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock II at UFC 5. A few things amplified the experience. For one, the action preceding it was fantastic. Well, a Shakma level of 'fantastic' given the presence of Jon Hess and whatever S.A.F.T.A was supposed to actually be.

Then there was the hype of the two best fighters going at in the UFC at the time. What ensued between Shamrock and Gracie wasn't a fight: it was a nightmare. It was competition in limbo.

Watching and reading the reactions of fans and observers to Tyron Woodley's performance is what I would expect in response to a dud of a fight. Nothing happened. I'm not the type to judge a fighter's performance when he does what he needed to do to win. But that's not to say I enjoyed it.

However, what exactly do fans want? I found myself stuck in a debate with readers over "lay and pray", and what should be 'done' with it: as if a fighter's methods need to be discriminated against like an emerald-colored Bruce Banner in an arm wrestling contest. Aggressive stand ups, judges giving less weight to top control and takedowns, yellow cards, and making knees to downed opponents legal are the typical suggestions.

Knees to the head I can get behind. Although ironically I'd argue that wrestlers wise in the ways of Dave Schultz would benefit more. Less weight to top control? I can also get behind that assuming that the fighter on bottom is active, and showing effective aggression while the fighter on top simply takes damage.

On the point of aggressive stand-ups: no. The idea that a fight should be stood up simply because nothing is happening is ridiculous and as we've seen before, aggressive stand ups allow fighters on bottom to simply hold on for dear life in order to force a stand-up. It allows fighters to be lazy.

I understand the criticism. Even established sports like the National Hockey League, with former debates about the two-line pass and sudden death, have been forced to manage the relationship between sport and spectacle.

Continue reading this post »

The furor over Cristiane Santos and the CSAC proceedings regarding her positive test for stanozolol metabolites has triggered quite a bit of commentary from all kinds of people with wildly divergent perspectives on Cris Cyborg, steroids, women's mixed martial arts and even sports themselves. One of the more common things I see in the writings here and there, formal and informal, (even from MMA-specific writers) is the idea that the career of Cris Cyborg can be declared "dead" and that she will never fight again in a prominent MMA organization.

I do not agree with that one bit nor do I agree with the logic that leads to such conclusions.

That type of "never" has a short half life with people like Ben Johnson, Michael Vick and the many other steroid users or athletes with a violent crime on their permanent record that we soon ignore or forget about. The anger of the sporting public fades, even if memories and records do not. Suspensions end. People are let back in their sports. The positive test and subsequent suspension of Cris Cyborg for one year by the California State Athletic Commission is destined to be a simple footnote in the endless battle for athletic achievement, fame and fortune.

The rage of the sporting public burns hot, but it burns short. We let the Michael Vick dog-fighting debacle simmer down. The bizarre Evander Holyfield ear-bitings are a faded memory for those familiar with Mike Tyson. In time, the Penn State cover-ups will recede into dim recollection despite being the biggest and worst scandal in college sports history. Time passes and as it does, disgraced athletes are allowed to work their way back into the limelight and to clean up their acts. Many do not, but the opportunity is there for them.

That is how things should be for Cris Cyborg. The same opportunity accorded the male mixed martial arts athletes who test positive for steroids to work to improve themselves, their adherence to the rules and to redeem themselves should be given to her. This is a steroids bust - not a Margarito-style loaded wraps deal. If the latter were to occur in MMA, I would be among the forefront of those looking for the imposition of severe penalties as far up to a life ban.

This "death blow" for the women's 145 division was already coming. Cyborg has nobody else to fight within that division and there was building talk of her dropping down to the 135 lb division (however feasible that may have been). What this positive test does is accelerate the end of that particular division - not WMMA in its entirety.

As for her career, people pay attention to Cyborg Santos. The ratings during Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal peaked during her 16 second beatdown of Yamanaka. Gina Carano might have been the flash in the pan of all flash in the pans not named Kimbo Slice or James Toney, but Cyborg has more staying power, more fights and is the most dominant champion in all of mixed martial arts. The ratings for Cyborg, for Ronda Rousey, for Miesha Tate, for Sarah Kaufman and for Marloes Coenen look like they say that people are willing to tune into WMMA if a quality fight is on or if a beatdown is about to occur. Which is exactly the same pattern male MMA generally follows.

If Cyborg takes the year off as an opportunity for positive change (as she said she would), actually hits 135 lbs in a healthy manner and provides clean tests, I believe that she will be right back in the thick of things. Look at how many male fighters test positive and work their way back into Zuffa good graces, let alone other fight organizations.

After the jump, a look at the many women athletes who have been caught using steroids like Marion Jones, the East German women back in the 1970s and 1980s, a professional boxer who subsequently fought seven title bouts and a Chinese heavyweight judo champ, as well as more thoughts on Cyborg Santos.

Continue reading this post »

2011 was a calender year for many things, but one of the more interesting yet unfortunate stories of the year involved the big business of college sports and the scandals that permeated the public discourse.

While the Penn State scandal dominated the airwaves, there was no shortage of cases illuminating a corrupt system with a fundamental problem in ignoring its labor force.

Cars, and prostitutes from irresponsible boosters are "chump change" compared to the billion in receipts the Southeastern Conference took in last year, or the $900+ million the Big Ten acquired from television contracts, merchandise, ticket sales, and so forth all while the college athlete got nothing in disclosed income.

Bouncing off of Branch's article, and the topic of big business corruption in college sports, Joe Nocero from The New York Times went a step further. Yes, let's pay these athletes. How? Why not lifetime health insurance, for one?

College football players are not immune to concussions, and in fact, might be the most vulnerable. With a growing body of evidence indicating the degree to which younger people are at risk for long term damage after a concussion (especially in high school where the brain has not yet fully matured), it's perhaps even scarier to see, as was the case with Owen Thomas (just 21) that nor are they immune to the progressive brain disease known as CTE.

The NFL recently dealt with several high profile concussion lawsuits, in part because the NFL has its own sordid history. Dr. Elliot J. Pellman was the league appointed official, trained in the scientific method, but ignorant of the virtue inherent to it, who acted as the mouthpiece for the NFL's former stance on concussions: 'they're not good for you, but don't worry, long term effects are not an ingredient of any given concussion'.

Which is, of course, patently false. But the NCAA too, has been the target of concussion lawsuits.

Continue reading this post »