By Mike Chiappetta
- Senior Writer
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Before the start of two separate matches on national television Saturday night, fighters
K.J. Noons and "King Mo"
Muhammed Lawal could be seen inhaling from small, cylindrical canisters handed to them by their cornermen. In Lawal's case, the canister -- which contained canned oxygen -- was furnished to his camp two weeks ago by a company named Oxygen4Energy. Lawal tried the product and liked it enough that he decided to use it on fight night.
By the next morning, though, a small controversy had erupted. The MMA site
MiddleEasy.com published a story which stated that "compressed oxygen is a substance banned from nearly every endurance sport, including MMA; in every state, including Texas."
Why then, were Lawal and Noons using it in so openly in public? And were they openly breaking the rules by using performance-enhancing substances?
Dr. Jorge Guerrero has been a supervising ring physician in Texas for 31 years, overseeing both boxing and MMA events. Guerrero, who was the head man in charge of Saturday's
Strikeforce: Houston event, says that during his long tenure, he'd never seen canned oxygen used during an event.
Still, he says the fighters did nothing wrong.
While MiddleEasy.com and other sites suggested compressed oxygen is banned by Texas, such an assertion is incorrect, according to Guerrero.
"Is there controversy about this?" Guerrero asked when reached by phone Monday morning. "The fighters didn't use anything against the rules. When it's something that's not overtly prohibited or limited, it's usually left up to the doctors at ringside, and we make the call on the spot. I think that's what happened here."
Guerrero noted that Texas closely oversees what corners can provide fighters between rounds, and that canned oxygen would not be allowed between rounds. But since the fighters took the canned oxygen prior to their respective fights, they did nothing wrong.
Furthermore, many doctors and studies have questioned the effectiveness of canned oxygen, which purports to boost energy by taking oxygen directly through the lungs and into the bloodstream.
"Oxygen to me is not an enhancing chemical or a super chemical," Guerrero said. "I think you have more problems with adrenaline that you would with 02. This is not a top priority for me to limit or decrease usage. It's just unimportant."
Other states have different stances on canned oxygen.
In New Jersey, it is not allowed, but not because of the boost it could give athletes.
"We wouldn't have a problem with the oxygen per se but the canister could contain most any type of vaporized substance in addition to oxygen that could include banned substances and it would be impossible to ascertain such at that point in time," said Nick Lembo, the legal counsel for the New Jersey state athletic control board.
For Lembo and New Jersey's chief MMA ringside Dr. Sherry Wulkan, the concern is the integrity of the container holding the oxygen. The canister could contain secondary ingredients that would cause an athlete to fail a post-fight drug test. (Such a concern did not apply in Texas, which routinely does not conduct drug tests -- another issue entirely.)
New Jersey's Wulkan firmly rejects the belief that canned oxygen alone acts as a performance-enhancer, pointing out that it is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an organization that is considered the world leader in fighting drugs in sports.
"If you've ever seen the WADA list of banned substances, it's enormous," Wulkan said. "I also work with the United States Tennis Association, and we often need to get a release form for things as common as an inhaler that could possibly considered enhancement. They are obviously not concerned about it giving athletes an advantage."
Wulkan said that physiologically, there is no evidence that canned oxygen helps athletic performance, something that even companies that manufacture the product admitted in 2009, when it was briefly banned by WADA during an investigatory phase.
"If you need to supplement with oxygen in the corner for an advantage, you're probably not ready to compete," Wulkan said.
Like Texas, Nevada does not specifically ban canned oxygen, but requires it to be cleared with commission doctors before use.
"If a contestant would like to use canned oxygen for a bout, he would need to clear the product with one of the commission's ringside physicians to make sure the product does not contain any prohibited substances or would otherwise adversely affect the bout," said Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada state athletic commission.
Athletes across the sports world are constantly searching for products that can assist performance and recovery. Wulkan says she first heard of canned oxygen about 18 months ago, through an MMA camp that she worked with. Guerrero said he's also known about it for a while, but both doctors insist that any effect gained from the product is minimal, and nowhere close to performance enhancing.
"I think it looked kind of funny to the fans, but there's a complex relationship between oxygen and its ability to get to the muscles," Wulkan said. "We haven't proven that it gives someone an advantage and there's probably no harm, so for that reason alone, it's not banned. But in terms of New Jersey, I'd rather see Gatorade in the corner. A touch of glucose on the tongue and glycogen release would probably be more beneficial."
Additional reporting on this story was done by MMA Fighting's Ray Hui.
Read More: aoloriginal, kj noons, strikeforce houston, fighting, mma fighting exclusive, news, Muhammed Lawal (MMA)
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