It seems that the USADA-UFC ban on using IVs (i.e. for rehydration) isn't policed in any meaningful way. You've got incident's like Ryan Lochte and Paulo Costa using IVs, that only came out because footage emerged of them actually using them. USADA never would have caught this behaviour without the video evidence. How many more UFC fighters are illegally using IV rehydration without getting caught? It is completely unacceptable that there is not a reliable method for policing the use of IV rehydration. USADA needs to put money into spectrophotometry* tests that can detect fresh injection sites on human skin. Every athlete should undergo mandatory physical examinations for IV injection sites twice on the day of their fights. If they are flagged for potential IV injection, then their blood should be required by rules (refusing = PED violation) to look for the microplastic particles that enter your blood after IV use. https://www.thecut.com/2018/07/ryan-lochte-scam-banned-from-swimming.html https://prommanow.com/2018/10/26/sc...o-costa-getting-an-iv-before-hendricks-fight/
I thought there was a reliable method that could detect something like micro plastic balls left by iv drips. Guess I was wrong.
no, that test was scrapped years ago as a primary method of testing for transfusions. the test looked at DEHP levels, dehp is a softener used in iv tubing, iv bags etc, but two problems. 1) most manufacturers are moving to DEHP free equipement because of health concerns, and 2) DEHP is in the environment all around us, its in drinks bottles, sandwich wrappers etc. USADA do still monitor pthalate levels (dehp etc) but it cannot be used as the sole evidence in proving an athlete had an iv because of the environmental levels of pthalates. but it could be used in conjunction with say, a video, or finding iv paraphernalia in a gym bin etc. Heres something i wrote which gives some background into the test and why it was scrapped https://taintedsupplements.wordpress.com/2017/06/27/whatever-happened-to-the-the-plasticizer-test/
I added this, something i wrote a while back which explains what the test was, and why it was scrapped in a bit more dettail https://taintedsupplements.wordpress.com/2017/06/27/whatever-happened-to-the-the-plasticizer-test/
well they can, but not solely off the back of the test for phthalates, needs other corroborating evidence
Some fighters are just stupidly obvious. In the last whittaker/romero fight, Romero essentially dehydrated himself to near-death (still missed weight too) and came back the next night looking like "an entirely different person compared to the shrivelled husk he was the day before" (it's what rob and his team said). Rob even joked around and said Romero rehydrated with a senzu bean.
The IV allows for massive overnight rehydration gains. I once cut weight with a fellow competitor where he made 205lbs. He popped 2 IV bags and we out to eat that night after weigh ins and he put 25lbs back before sleep. He got back up to 235 the next day to compete. Ive only used water and have gained as much as 13-14lbs overnight. They need to keep the IV ban and enforce if possible.
