![BJ Penn]()
BJ Penn was ruled out of
UFC 199 for using an IV that put him in breach of
USADA regulations. He has now taken to his website,
BJPenn.com, to give his side of the story.
The former lightweight and welterweight title-holder's comeback at UFC 199 was put on hold last week with the news that he had violated the USADA's regulations on IV use. Penn used an IV to administer more fluids than permitted in one day for non-emergency medical use, and was subsequently suspended pending further investigation.
If further investigation were to find that 'The Prodigy' had technically infringed upon anti-doping procedures, he may be in line for a suspension of at least six months. But speaking on his website
BJPenn.com, the MMA pioneer claimed that the IV infringement was entirely innocent and inadvertent, and that he is firmly against the use of IVs for rehydration:
"They said that after doing a physical on me and taking a look at my symptoms, a glutathione IV would be great for me. They told me that having the glutathione administered through an IV would be the best way for my body to absorb the antioxidant. So the first thing I told them was that I am signed up with USADA year-round, so we have to take a look at their ‘banned substances list’ and make sure there is nothing in there.
We went through the banned substance list and of course glutathione was not on the list.
Once we discovered that nothing in the IV was on the banned substance list, I let the doctor administer the IV. I was so focused on USADA’s banned substance list that I never gave any thought to the IV except for the fact that sometimes people had used them after weigh-ins before a fight."
"Of course they are for wimps when the IV is being used to rehydrate a fighter who has nearly killed himself cutting weight so that he can fight a smaller man. If you are using an IV for that purpose, then of course you are a wimp and I’ll tell anyone that to their face. On the other hand, if someone gets in a bad car accident and needs an IV for a blood transfusion, am I going to call them a wimp? Of course not! That absolutely outrageous, you know seriously who am I addressing here. This is a first-grade conversation."
The IV ban has been part of a wider strategy to limit dangerous weight-cutting practices. The UFC recently announced that fighters will have to weigh-in each day of fight week prior to the event.
