Holly Holm signs endorsement deal with illegal supplement maker
Holly Holm, whose victory over Ronda Rousey in November turned her into one of UFC’s most visible fighters, has signed an endorsement deal with a supplement maker that sells products banned from UFC and deemed illegal by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Holm recently agreed to a two-year deal with Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, company owner Jared Wheat told USA TODAY Sports. In a new ad, Holm is pictured next to five bottled Hi-Tech products, three of which are advertised as containing DMAA, a stimulant the FDA said in 2013 poses potentially serious health risks.
It is also on the list of substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). UFC’s independent administrator of its doping protocol is the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which adheres to WADA rules and regulations.
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“Holly Holm is a great UFC champion and a role model for the sport of mixed martial arts,’’ UFC said in a statement issued to USA TODAY Sports, adding that Holm and all other independent-contractor athletes at UFC events are free to accept endorsements and sponsorships from supplement or other companies that don't conflict with their contractual obligations at UFC events. “The UFC organization has not researched the company that is sponsoring Holm, and UFC does not condone any athlete that uses a substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List.’’
Holm and her manager did not respond to several requests for comment. Although Holm sponsors a company that sells products containing a banned substance, it does not mean she uses the supplements in question.
It is not the first time Holm has promoted a banned product. During her fight against Rousey, Holm was sponsored by Intel Pharma, a company that has sold products labeled as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMS), considered steroid alternatives and on WADA’s banned substance list. Langdon Suggs, owner of Intel Pharma, said Holm and the company have parted ways and that Intel Pharma no longer sells products containing substance's on WADA's banned list.
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UFC said Holm has been tested seven times since the inception of UFC's anti-doping program in July and all of her results have been negative. The test results are available at USADA’s website.
DMAA, the banned substance in three of Hi-Tech’s products, is an amphetamine-like stimulant and an unsafe food additive, according to the FDA, which in 2013 said DMAA had been linked to 86 “adverse health events.’’
DMAA is most commonly used in supplements promising weight loss, muscle building and performance enhancement, according to the FDA, which reported the substance can lead to to cardiovascular problems, including heart attack.
In 2013, U.S. Marshals seized from Hi-Tech more than $2 million of dietary supplements that contained DMAA and were manufactured by the company that is based in Georgia. But that has not stopped the Hi-Tech from selling products with DMAA and the company is in litigation over the matter.
“Most companies let the FDA intimidate them into stopping the sales of this extremely potent combination’’ reads one product description. “….Well not Hi-Tech!”
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