Abstract
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combat sport that requires maximum physical effort during competitions. In this context, some athletes can use illicit substances in order to improve their performance. By means of paired analysis, the present study compared the motor actions of athletes who had failed an anti-doping test versus their performance in combat against a winner or loser without doping presence. For this, 267 rounds (male and female) were analyzed in professional matches. The rounds were paired by athletes in the conditions: doping, winning and losing. Motor actions were analyzed through a specific and previously-validated protocol. Of the substances detected, anabolic androgenic steroids represented 55% (p≤0.001). Doped athletes had lower pause time (83.4±68.3 vs. 131.7±95.2, p≤0.001) and longer time at high-intensity (85.2±86.6 vs. 51.2±73.3, p=0.002) compared to the losing condition. Regarding the technical-tactical analysis in standing combat, winning presented a higher mean compared to doping in all variables except for Knockdowns (p=0.08), single body strikes landed (p=0.15), single leg strikes landed (p=0.25) and single strike attempts (p=0.4). In conclusion, athletes who tested positive presented higher performance in the physical variables (effort and pause time) in comparison to the losing condition; however, doping did not reflect in better technical-tactical performance.
Highlights
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) combines techniques of different combat sports, such as: boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, wrestling, judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, including motor actions in striking and grappling movements[1]
The analysis and diagnosis of technicaltactical performance in MMA can be performed through videos, providing feedback to improve performance[2,3,4], allowing the coach to develop a higher variety of strategies which interfere in the choice and the frequency of actions taken during combat[5,6]
When MMA athletes are consistently training at high intensity and there is no control of training load, their of injury risk increases[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11], affecting their competitive performance
Summary
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) combines techniques of different combat sports, such as: boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, wrestling, judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, including motor actions in striking and grappling movements[1]. Strength and power are essential for competitive success in combat sports[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11-12] In this sense, many athletes use ergogenic substances as a way to improve performance and chances of winning, but some of those substances are considered doping[13]. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defines doping as the administration of any exogenous substance in abnormal quantity with the intention of artificially and unfairly improving performance[16,17] Illegal substances such as anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) increase strength and endurance, and reduce fatigue[16], the harmful effects of these substances on the health of an athlete is proven in their hormonal and aesthetic appearance as well as by their behavior[18]. The present study compared performances in three conditions through a paired technical-tactical analysis: a) positive on the anti-doping test; b) winning; and/or c) losing without doping
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