Vitor Belfort dropped out of his upcoming UFC middleweight title shot on Thursday a few hours after the Nevada Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy. John Elway Broncos Jersey . Belfort was scheduled to fight 185-pound champion Chris Weidman at UFC 173 on May 24. His title shot was given to Lyoto Machida by UFC President Dana White. UFC 173 is the next major card in Las Vegas, the UFCs hometown. The influential Nevada commission voted unanimously on Thursday to stop granting therapeutic use exemptions for TRT, closing a widely criticized loophole that allowed mixed martial arts fighters to compete on steroids. "As other jurisdictions may follow suit, I am going to drop my TRT program and compete in MMA without it," Belfort said in a statement provided to Fox, the UFCs broadcast partner. "Given the time constraints involved between now and my proposed next bout in May, I have determined not to apply for a license to fight in Nevada at this time." The 36-year-old Belfort has been open about his use of synthetic testosterone in recent years. His sanctioned steroid use has coincided with a career resurgence for the former UFC light heavyweight champion, who won three consecutive bouts by early-round knockout in 2013 while fighting in his native Brazil. Belfort claimed he needed TRT because of low testosterone, an argument which generated wide criticism because he failed a drug test for elevated testosterone in 2006 following a bout in Las Vegas for the Pride promotion against Dan Henderson, another acknowledged TRT user. Use of performance-enhancing drugs can lower the users natural testosterone levels. Belfort hadnt fought in Nevada since February 2011, before his announced TRT use began. He had intended to apply for an exemption to use synthetic testosterone before UFC 173. White and the UFC have been increasingly critical of TRT use in recent months, with White telling The Associated Press in January he supported the elimination of therapeutic use exemptions for testosterone. White hailed the Nevada commissions ruling Thursday. "We believe our athletes should compete based on their natural abilities and on an even playing field," White said. "We also intend to honour this ruling in international markets where, due to a lack of governing bodies, the UFC oversees regulatory efforts for our live events. We encourage all athletic commissions to adopt this ruling." The Nevada commission had granted therapeutic use exemptions for several fighters in recent years, including contenders Chael Sonnen and Frank Mir, but had never approved synthetic testosterone for a fighter who had failed a drug test for anabolic steroids. Machida is another former UFC light heavyweight champion from Brazil. He is getting a title shot against Weidman in just his third bout at 185 pounds after winning four of his last five fights overall. Weidman took the title from longtime UFC champion Anderson Silva last July and defended it in a rematch in December when Silva broke his leg while kicking Weidmans knee. Weidman has been critical of Belforts testosterone use, once saying Belfort "looks like the Hulk now" and hoping the UFC wouldnt schedule their bout in Brazil, where drug testing is considered much less stringent than in the U.S. Tom Jackson Broncos Jersey . Luis Enrique signed the deal with club president Josep Bartomeu two days after it was announced by the club. That was two days after coach Gerardo Martino stepped down when Barcelona finished its first season without a major trophy in six years. DeMarcus Ware Broncos Jersey . Nwaneri, who was born in Dallas and attended Naaman Forest High School in nearby Garland, Texas, tweeted, "Its official! Im coming home, Im coming home. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-joe-flacco-broncos-jerseys/ . - Ronda Rousey realizes shes finishing up one of the biggest years for any fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts at UFC 168, and the UFCs bantamweight champion intends to go out on top.The former owner of the Vancouver Canucks has been ordered to testify if he approved a career-ending sucker punch on Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore by forward Todd Bertuzzi. Ontario Superior Court Case Management Master Ronald Dash released the decision on Monday, saying John McCaw Jr. must testify in front of a jury by live video conference. Moores lawyer, Tim Danson, asked the court to compel McCaw - who is based in Seattle - to testify in the case back on February 27. "Holding billionaire owners of NHL teams accountable for the corporate culture they set, and for what happens under their watch is a very important issue," said Danson in a statement on Monday. Its been over 10 years since Bertuzzis infamous hit, and Moores multi-million-dollar lawsuit is set to go to trial on Sept. 8. Danson said last month that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly have already voluntarily agreed to testify. McCaws lawyer, Steven Frankel, argued last month that the court doesnt have jurisdiction to do that and suggested Danson is trying to do an "end run" around very specific court rules. Frankel said there is no evidence before the court that McCaw, who is not an individual defendant, even has relevant evidence to give. A jury should be able to hear McCaw answer whether he knew Canucks players were gunning for retaliation against Moore for a hit weeks earlier on former Canucks captain Markus Naslund that resulted in a concussion, Danson argued. Bertuzzi has alleged the Canucks then-coach Marc Crawford urged his players to make Moore "pay the price," while Crawford has claimed Bertuzzi disobeyed instructions to get off the ice before Moore was attacked. Players were issuing public threats against Moore before the hit, Danson said, and whaat McCaw did or didnt do about it is "highly relevant to the question of negligence. John Elway Jersey. " "Theres no way that you can have the intensity of the public threats over three weeks going on unless the corporate culture set by Mr. McCaw allowed it, and he has to answer to that," Danson said. Danson suggested that McCaw fostered a corporate culture that may have at least implicitly approved such an attack, including having as the president and general manager Brian Burke, who was "unapologetic about promoting violence in hockey." "Were Burke and Crawford carrying out the wishes of McCaw?" Danson suggested. "Or given the wink...when it came to getting Mr. Moore?" McCaw no longer owns the Canucks, having sold his company Orca Bay, now known as Canucks Sports and Entertainment. But he maintains a "very significant financial interest" in the outcome of the lawsuit, as he is still on the hook for half of any liability found against the team, which Danson said was a condition of the sale. "If he doesnt testify, if he doesnt come forward, our case is going to be significantly weakened," Danson said. "So he knows its not in his best interest to testify because if he testifies, it will be....to the benefit of the plaintiffs." Moore is suing Bertuzzi and the Canucks for $38 million for a 2004 on-ice hit that left Moore, then a Colorado Avalanche player, with a concussion and three fractured vertebrae. Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of assault causing bodily harm and was sentenced in 2006 to a years probation and 80 hours of community service. He also served a multi-game suspension from the NHL but has gone on to play for several other NHL teams, including currently as a forward for the Detroit Red Wings. ' ' '