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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief The undercard for tomorrow night's UFC Fight Night 18 event in Nashville, TN, got a little bit smaller today, as the bout between Ryan Jensen and Steve Steinbeiss has been scrapped. The UFC's official statement is that it was due to a "medical approval issue regarding Jensen," and MMAWeekly.com reports that issue is Jensen's use of the drug Adderall.
Adderall is used primarily as a drug to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and it "affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control." According to the report, Jensen disclosed his use of the drug to the athletic commission and on their review the bout was canceled.
The report also brought up that it was a very similar situation that held TUF season 7 contestant Tim Credeur off of the Ultimate Fighter Finale. They cite NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer's reasoning being that "[Adderall] acts as a cardio-vascular restrictor and that's the main reason it's banned because it can cause athletes to have a cardiac episode with the stress they're under when they're in an athletic competition. Secondly, it can have a performance-enhancing effect as well."
Penick's Analysis: With what the drug does to the body it's not really a surprise that this situation would come up. I've had first hand experience with family members dealing with ADHD and the many drugs that come with that, and it's certainly in a fighter's best interest to be on those come fight time. That said, it's unclear here when Jensen last took his Adderall and it's simply an unfortunate situation for him, Steinbeiss and the fans. It's a fight that could have been a very nice bout for the undercard and it's too bad it won't take place. Now, as Credeur wasn't subject to any fines or suspensions I can't imagine Jensen would either, as it's not as if he fought the fight without disclosing this. Instead, it's just unfortunate and he'll need to bounce back and be ready to go here shortly down the line.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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