Safety
Check medicines and supplements before MMA competition
Start with the rules for your event and your own medical needs. This checklist helps you find an official answer; it cannot approve a medicine or supplement. Do not stop prescribed treatment or delay emergency care to complete an online search.
On this page
Identify the organisation responsible
Ask the organiser or national federation which anti-doping policy applies, which body handles questions and TUEs, and what athlete category you fall into. Do not assume all professional promotions or amateur events use the same programme. For IMMAF events, use IMMAF’s current guidance and confirm the responsible authority.
Check the exact medicine
Use the official medication tool recommended by that authority. Global DRO covers specified countries and medication products against the WADA list. Select the correct country of purchase and sport, then match the product, active ingredients, strength and route of administration. Read all conditions, including in-competition status. An absent result is not permission.
Save the result and check again
Keep the dated search result and reference number with the product details. Recheck when the medication or formulation changes and when the annual list changes. A familiar brand name can contain different ingredients in a different country. If a result is unclear, ask the responsible anti-doping organisation before relying on it.
A prescription and a TUE are different
Tell your prescriber that anti-doping rules apply. If treatment involves a prohibited substance or method, discuss the medical options with them and ask the responsible authority whether, where and when a therapeutic use exemption is required. An application is not an approval. Recognition of an existing TUE may also need checking for a different competition level or organisation.
Supplements need a separate check
Global DRO does not clear dietary supplements. Searching the listed ingredients cannot rule out undeclared substances or contamination. Discuss whether a supplement is needed with an appropriately qualified professional. Independent batch testing can reduce risk but cannot guarantee a product is safe or permitted; check the exact product and batch through the programme your authority recommends.
Take these records to the right person
Keep the event’s policy link, the official contact, the medicine’s packaging details, your dated result and any exemption decision together. Send health documents only through the authority’s prescribed private process. Do not put prescriptions, diagnoses or medical records in this site’s training journal.