UFC News: MSAC gives the official reason for changing Greg Hardy's win to a no-contest
Massachusetts State Athletic Commission (MSAC) spokesperson Carolyn Assa sent an email to MMA Fighting regarding the recent controversy surrounding Greg Hardy's fight against Ben Sosoli at UFC on ESPN 6.
The MSAC spokesperson confirmed that Greg Hardy's win has been overturned to a no-contest as the inhaler used by Hardy was not pre-approved by the commission.
The short statement read:
“The inhaler was not pre-approved by the commission for use during the fight in accordance with the Commission’s regulations. Therefore, the commission overturned the win and declared the bout no contest.”
Greg Hardy took on Ben Sosoli at the recently concluded UFC on ESPN 6 show and worked out a comfortable unanimous decision victory at the end of the three-round fight.
Hardy was shown using an inhaler between the second and third rounds, however, the referee and the cage side MSAC inspector failed to do anything about it.
Much to the dismay for Hardy and his camp, the result of the fight was changed after the event ended.
There has, of course, been a lot of confusion over Hardy's actions. Did he cheat? The answer is no.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, John McCarthy explained why Hardy didn't have any malice behind his move to use the inhaler.
“Did Greg Hardy try to cheat? No. He’s asking in front of everyone, ‘Can I use this?’ So everything that you’re looking at, no matter what, goes down to one person. It was that inspector who allowed him to do that."
It's interesting to note that the inhaler Greg Hardy used isn't on The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of banned devices. It has been stated that the inhaler can be used only if it comes under a limited dosage and duration.
The MSAC's rules clearly state that a fighter and his camp need to get the prior approval of the commission for any additional equipment that needs to be brought inside the cage. MSAC also accept a 'variance', which is a written application from the fighter and his camp for permission to use something that could be deemed illegal otherwise.
The camp has to provide a valid reason behind the usage and MSAC will then make a decision. MSAC never got a pre-fight request in Hardy's case which is why he has been duly punished.
Hardy argued that he asked the commission officials during the fight but that's clearly not the procedure that needs to be followed. Hardy even stated that he has been using the inhaler to treat exercise-induced asthma.
In Hardy's defence, he is a rookie in the world of MMA and didn't know the regulations that were in place. However, his camp may have known and they should have gone through proper channels before letting Hardy use the inhaler.