In one of the most recent episodes of his podcast, Believe You Me, MMA fighter Michael Bisping disclosed an astonishing fact regarding fighters in the sport taking illegal substances in order to gain more benefits before a fight.
In mixed martial arts, it is against the rules for a fighter to take any kind of performance-enhancing drug or chemical while they are competing. This includes vaseline and any other kind of chemical that is slippery.
In the past, combatants would rub vaseline all over their bodies to make them more slippery and increase their chances of avoiding injury in the event of a collision. Later on, any form of lubrication material, including vaseline, was prohibited from being used in the sport.
The UFC Hall of Famer Bisping believes that many fighters still use vaseline and that the practice has become more technically sophisticated over time to camouflage its use.
“Trying to control a fighter covered in sweat who’s also applied like a lubricant like Vaseline, that’s damn near impossible! And that’s why a lot of fighters in the history of mixed martial arts have tried to do [so],” Bisping said in his podcast.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) also has rules regarding the usage of vaseline by its fighters. There is a maximum limit of vaseline that can be applied, and the athletes are not allowed to go over this limit. Bisping believes that fighters have found a mechanism to not be caught even when they take more than the allowed amount.
“In fact, I’ve been present speaking to people, other fighters where they’ve told me some of their methods. They used to say ‘what I do is I apply Vaseline to my body 2, 3 days before, I allow it to soak in and then afterward I shower so it feels like there’s nothing there, and then in the fight when you start sweating, it comes out.” Michael added.
To what extent do you agree that it is acceptable for fighters to use substances such as vaseline and other lubricants during a bout?
