NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses how much the decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to eliminate therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is related to the attempt by Zuffa, the parent company of UFC, to get its amateur organization into SportAccord, the international federation of sports federations. SportAccord, along with the International Olympic Committee, requires federations to follow the protocols of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and all of these very, very rarely hand out TUEs for TRT for all sports, far less frequently than Zuffa and the Nevada commission have for just their own MMA events.

Also discussed is even more new information on the dangers of brain injuries and the risks of dementia and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in sports where there is head trauma, and how this remains the Achilles Heel of these sports. What happened to dueling in the 19th century, and smoking in the 20th century, is compared to what might happen to these combat sports with head strikes in the 21st century.

The month of March also marks several milestones, including the eighth anniversary of No Holds Barred as a podcast. Some of the plans for the show are discussed as well.

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The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

Labels: catch, CTE, Eddie Goldman, International Olympic Committee, IOC, MMA, Nevada State Athletic Commission, No Holds Barred, SportAccord, testosterone, therapeutic use exemptions, TRT, TUE, UFC, wrestling, Zuffa