MMA fighter Nate Marquardt “failed his medicals” going into the recent UFC and was dropped from the card. That kind of thing always means a story, and hearing that Dana White was “disgusted” piqued my interest.
So, why did Dana White decide Marquardt needed to be cut from the UFC entirely? Steroids. Again.
Back in 2005, Marquardt tested positive for nandrolone — the anabolic steroid known as “Deca” — which he claimed must have been in one of his (supposedly legal) over-the-counter supplements. Nandrolone is popular with bodybuilders, who aren’t tested for drugs, but unpopular with savvy competitive athletes, who know that it’s easy to detect for months after use.
Because drug tests can’t easily discern synthetic testosterone from the body’s own testosterone, that’s the drug of choice for tested athletes, who prefer fast-acting versions that get in and out of their system, combined with a quick dose of epitestosterone — to keep the easy-to-measure ratio of the two within limits — when they expect a test.
Anyway, not long ago, Marquardt says, he went to his doctor with the usual vague symptoms — fatigue, etc. — and got his easy-to-manipulate testosterone levels measured. Surprise! They were low, and he needed testosterone-replacement therapy:
That doctor put Nate on hormone replacement therapy and when Nate applied for a Theraputic Use Exemption with the New Jersey state commission, they allowed it but declared that he must go off the therapy for ten weeks, then have his levels retested by a specialist to determine if he really needs to be on the therapy or not. At the end of that period, both the specialist and Nate’s primary doctor agreed his levels really were low and he was a candidate for replacement therapy.
Nate’s primary doctor injected him with testosterone to quickly get his levels back up in time for his scheduled fight against Rick Story. The Pennsylvania commission had set standards for what his testosterone levels could be at fight time and Nate’s levels, though trending down over the last week before the fight, still failed to fall to within the range required in time for him to be cleared to fight. Nate claimed that he retook tests fight day and was actually within the limit and would have qualified and is expected to be reinstated by the commssion soon.
What makes both of his excuses plausible is that his advisors would have to be incompetent to suggest easy-to-detect nandrolone the first time and then long-lasting testosterone injections the second time.
Then again, he’s managed by Alchemist MMA, which certainly doesn’t sound anti-drug.