More details are coming to light about the recent turn of events between Conor McGregor and the UFC with the featherweight champion first announcing retirement, the UFC responding that he has been removed from UFC 200 for failing to cooperate with press obligations and that announced “retirement” has contractual implications. Today McGregor announced he is … More McGregor / UFC Rift and “Reasonable” Promotion
Update April 21, 2016 – Today Conor published a statement stating he is not retired and went on record noting this clarity was being made “for USADA and for the UFC and my contract stipulations” ______________________________________ In what can only be described as a crazy day in the world of MMA, UFC’s featherweight champion Conor McGregor … More Potential Regulatory and Contractual Consequences if McGregor’s ‘retirement’ is not sincere
Update May 19, 2016 – Circuit Judge Bobby Baldock upheld the $250 commercial piracy damage assessment over objections of the Plaintiff’s in reasons for judgement released this week. ________________________________ Adding to this site’s archived cases of UFC pay per view event piracy prosecutions, reasons for judgement were released this month by the United States District … More UFC PPV Piracy Damages Assessed Below Cost of Program
In my ongoing effort to document safety studies addressing combat sports, a recent study was published this month in the Saudi Journal of Sports Medicine seeking to find out the prevalence of injuries in national level boxers that occurred during the bout or training. In the study, titled Prevalence of injuries in competitive boxers: A retrospective … More Study – 61% Concussion Rate for National Boxers in 2 Year Period
Update November 16, 2106 – Today it was announced that Machida accepted a 18 month suspension with the reduction being due in part to his “prompt admission”. Update November 8, 2016 – Today it was announced that George Sullivan had his USADA suspension cut in half due in part to his self disclosure giving hope … More How Lyoto Machida May Cut his USADA Doping Ban in Half
This week it was announced that the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming casino in greater Miami will host an eight-bout bare knuckle boxing event including a title bout involving ‘the world champion of bare knuckle boxing‘ Bobby Gunn. Gunn, who staged the first sanctioned bare knuckle match in the U.S. since 1889 in 2011 on Tribal land in … More Let’s Talk Bare Knuckle Boxing, Tribal Commissions and Legality
UPDATE April 12, 2016 – USADA’s Media Relations Specialist, Ryan Madden, has responded noting that they do not consider sparring during a period of ineligibility (ie suspension) to be a breach of the policy provided that Romero is not acting in any other capacity as an “athlete support personnel“. When asked to clarify some examples … More Let’s Talk Yoel Romero, Training and “Prohibited Association”
Former Olympian and current UFC fighter Yoel Romero recently made headlines in the world of combat sports by being on the wrong end of a tainted supplements scandal. In short the United States Anti-Doping Agency independently tested a supplement Romero was using and found it contained a World Anti-Doping Agency banned substance not labelled on … More Study Finds Widespread Use of WADA Prohibited Drug in Supplements
Earlier this week it was revealed that Yoel Romero, who recently tested positive for a prohibited substance in an out-of-competition test conducted by USADA in fact ingested the substance inadvertently. The old ‘tainted supplement’ defence is as old as doping allegations themselves which are rarely met with candid admissions of wrongdoing. Romero, however, appears to … More Malki Kawa – Yoel Romero Lawsuit Against Supplement Manufacturer “In Process”
The Mohegan Department of Athletic Regulation has become the latest athletic commission to implement weight cut reforms in combat sports. As reported by theMMAreport.com, the Mohegan Commission has sent a letter to fighters scheduled to compete at Bellator 153 advising of the new regulations which are similar to recent reforms passed in California. The letter … More Mohegan Department of Athletic Regulation Implements Weight Cut Reforms
Combat Sports Law 