Previously, the State of Illinois Commission only required professionals to have such testing done. As of Feb. 3, 2009, all amateurs participating in Illinois also must have these blood tests
completed.

The good news for amateurs is your results are good for one year from the time of testing. For professional MMA fighters it is still 6 months. If you don't have the tests done you will not be able to
compete in Illinois. Period.

This is a safety issue the State believes in and we will follow its mandate, as will our sanctioning body of choice -- Combat Consulting. If you are fighting in an event in Illinois and you haven't had
bloodwork you are participating in an illegal show.

Bloodwork can take up to one week to get results, depending on where you go. Hospitals, clinics, doctor's offices all offer this service at various price ranges. We recommend Lab Corp. locations. Lab Corp. charges $109 (one of the cheapest prices around) and there are numerous locations throughout Illinois and neighboring states. With Lab Corp. there is a 24-hour turnaround time. They will even fax your results to other fax numbers besides your own. To find the nearest Lab Corp. near you go to www.labcorp.com.