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CBD in the MMA

CBD For Muscle Recovery: How CBD Made Its Way To MMA.

CBD has had its fair share of popularity in the past decade, and nothing seems to change. Its benefits, such as CBD for focus and reducing recuperation time after a competition, are the key reasons people are willing to try it out. Athletes and sports enthusiasts are some of the few people who are reaping the advantages of CBD for muscle recovery. An excellent example is Roman Mironenko. The retired professional mixed martial artist uses CBD to reduce joint and muscle pain naturally. Roman had a successful career in MMA, but he later retired to teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in France. Staying in shape to work with students still takes a toll on his body. Luckily, Mironenko was able to alleviate his everyday aches and pains by taking CBD oil twice daily.

Story of Roman Mironenko

Roman’s story reveals that many amateur and professional fighters use CBD. These professional athletes take the hemp extract to alleviate pain from the wear and tear it takes on their bodies. Additionally, CBD for muscle recovery helps competitors get back to the octagon faster. It is pretty impressive that MMA fighters have bought into the benefits of CBD for focus and sore joints and muscles ahead of other athletes. Gareth Davies, a veteran sports journalist, argues that MMA fighters that were looking for an all-natural neuroprotective anticipated the CBD trend earlier than other athletes.

This trend was quite clear when influential organizations in the MMA sport began endorsing CBD openly. Professional fighters who support various CBD brands include Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen, and Jorge Masvidal. These athletes understand the benefits of CBD for focus and muscle recovery.

Another example from July 2019 involves UFC, one of the most successful MMA promotion companies. The owner, Dana White, announced that they would partner with Aurora Cannabis to study CBD. The research involves whether CBD is capable of helping UFC fighters. In addition, they mentioned that the findings of their study would play a significant role in developing hemp-derived CBD topicals.

Dr. Duncan French, UFC’s VP, explained,

Collaborating with Aurora is the best way to educate ourselves and our fighters about the impact of CBD on MMA athletes and our sport. We want to apply science and see where it leads us. Ideally, these studies will give us the clarity we need to determine the effectiveness of hemp-derived CBD on athlete health and injury recovery.”

CBD Oil for Muscle Recovery & The “Nate Diaz Rule”

Leslie Smith, an MMA fighter for Bellator, doesn’t remember her first encounter with CBD. Nonetheless, she does recall when CBD made its way to the larger UFC community. The conversation surrounding this substance started with Nate Diaz, another professional competitor.

Smith recalls when Nate Diaz vaporized CBD after a competitive fight. She felt that Nate’s actions fueled the conversation about the use of cannabidiol in the fighting community. UFC fans can recall when  Diaz was spotted vaping during a post-fight press conference. It was actually in August 2016 when Diaz had a rematch with Conor McGregor.

Smith also admitted to using CBD for muscle recovery. She said that it was a routine after a fight or an intense training session. According to her, she took it immediately after her session and before she went to bed.

At some point, the media flagged any cannabinoids during competitions, thus resulting in a ban. In addition, the press claimed that using CBD in contests was a potential doping violation. This issue sparked a debate on whether Nate Diaz had broken a rule and later created the famous “Nate Diaz Rule” in 2018. Since then, the MMA has come a long way in promoting cannabinoids, including CBD for muscle recovery.

USADA CEO Travis Tygart explained in a recent interview the reason for the change in rules for athletes.

“The goal of the UFC anti-doping program is to protect the rights of clean athletes by deterring intentional cheaters and holding those who choose to dope accountable in a fair and effective way. These amended rules are aimed at this, and to continue our focus on preventing intentional cheating and not to unnecessarily punish athletes for behavior that does not impact the fairness or safety of competition.”

MMA Fighters Are Practicing Caution When Using CBD

Although CBD has become popular among MMA Fighters, it’s good that these athletes are cautious about using it during training and recovery. Unfortunately, the CBD trend has come when there are concerns about retroactive sanctions and fake supplements. Besides, events are being canceled more often than not. While CBD for focus and muscle recovery is real, just a little bit of THC in any product can hurt athletes in competition. 

The issue of CBD has seen the Diaz brothers get into conflict with officials. Besides, there have been quite a few sanctions on them, which has caused other athletes to become weary of their actions. Smith also had to ditch the use of CBD as a precaution. She added that the commission in Thackerville is so serious about having any metabolites in the body system.

Smith claims that even the smallest amount of her favorite full-spectrum CBD would have a massive blow to her publicity and career as well. As a result, she had to switch to a broad-spectrum CBD without THC.

MMA Coaches Agree with Smith About Broad-Spectrum CBD

John Kelly, the owner and head coach of Live Free Cross-fit, has said there is increased fear of testing positive THC after consuming CBD products. Kelly also trains Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who is one of the UFC heavyweights.

“These guys work really hard If for some reason they get popped for THC when they were trying to take a supplement, then it’s going to destroy everything that they worked towards.”

Kelly understands the effort that athletes put into competition. However, it would be useless if they test positive for THC just because they were trying to consume CBD products. Such a mistake would render their hard work worthless.

Fighters need to find a legit CBD product that will work and not get into trouble. Purchasing CBD oil from American Hemp Oil will give you the most legit, lab-tested product on the market today.

In addition to CBD oil for muscle recovery and focus, Rozenstruik mentioned using the popular hemp extract as a topical rub during training. He also takes it orally before going to sleep. His usual dosage is around 33 milligrams, but he doubles it after rigorous training sessions. Rozenstruik claims that it helps him to soothe sore muscles.

UFC fighters recognized the importance of CBD for Muscle Recovery

The proof is unmistakable. MMA competitors see the importance of CBD in their training, for competition, and for recovery. The only problem they encounter is finding products that do not contain THC. Fortunately, you can get pure CBD oils and topical rubs from American Hemp Oil that fit that need.

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