UFC P.E.D. SCANDAL SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL
Ultimate Steroid Championships?
Los Angeles, CA– When news broke last week that the beloved “Greatest of All Time,” former UFC middleweight (185) champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva (34-6) tested positive for two performance-enhancing drugs in pre-fight tests for his January 31 bout with former Strikeforce welterweight (170) champion Nick Diaz (26-10, 1 NC), the mixed martial arts world was turned upside down. Silva had developed an unbeatable aura before his back-to-back TKO2 losses to Chris Weidman (12-0). A young man from Brazil who beat all odds and become possibly the best fighter in MMA history. He rose from obscurity to do things in the cage no one had ever done before. All of Silva’s accomplishments are now sadly accompanied by an asterisk.
SILVA ONLY THE BEGINNING
Since Anderson’s positive test last week, two more big names in mixed martial arts have popped for steroids. Current World Series of Fighting contender Jon Fitch (26-7-1, 1 NC) failed a drug test because of elevated testosterone levels prior to his December 13 loss to Rousimar Palhares (17-6). Palhares failed a drug test for elevated testosterone levels at UFC on FOX 6 back in 2012. Fitch was always a strong opponent of performance-enhancing drugs, which made his positive test a shock to many. UFC welterweight contender Hector “Showeather” Lombard’s (35-4-1, 1 NC) drug test failure, which was announced this week was not surprising to me.
LOMBARD ALWAYS HAD THE PHYSIQUE
Hector “Roidweather” Lombard
While some athletes are simply gifted with more defined musculature than others, Cuba’s Lombard has the body of a steroid user. A former bodybuilder, Fitch has also had an impressive physique throughout his career. Anderson Silva has never been particularly muscular and his failure left me stunned. There have long been rumors that around 80% of the top guys use some form of steroids, and these recent failures seem to point to that figure potentially being reality.
G.S.P. LEFT FOR A REASON
UFC legend Georges St. Pierre (25-2) wanted there to be more in-depth drug testing in mixed martial arts. UFC president Dana White’s refusal to push for more stringent testing, and subsequent disrespect of St. Pierre are two of the main reasons for the Canadian star’s departure from the sport. St. Pierre even offered to pay for his title challenger Johny Hendricks’ (16-3) drug tests, but was shot down. Even though he was awarded the decision over Hendricks, St. Pierre went on an indefinite hiatus after the fight, and does not appear to be returning to competition any time soon. The drug testing situation undoubtedly did not sit well with Georges, and he may have seen the writing on the wall.
UFC HAS OPPOSED BOXER FLOYD MAYWEATHER
Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) has been the primary force and face pushing for more testing in Nevada and word on the street is Dana White was not too keen on the idea. White is a guy who is said to push his employees to fight injured and has not spoken out against PEDs as much as one might expect. The general motto of the UFC seems to be “the show must go on,” which is why it comes as no surprise that Silva-Diaz was still allowed to take place despite both failed tests.
WHO WILL BE NEXT?
Now that drug testing in mixed martial arts is becoming more comprehensive, and fighters are being tested both in and out of competition, it is inevitable that more guys will test positive for PEDs. One fighter who seems like he potentially could be on the wrong side of a test is light heavyweight contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (19-4).
IS RUMBLE SUSPICIOUS?
Last year, Johnson shared some interesting thoughts on PEDs: “I mean, as long as nobody dies, nobody pulls a Chris Benoit, you know what I’m saying? I think everything is going to be fine. If it’s something that can absolutely help you, I don’t see what the problem is. Until that moment you go crazy on the person — whoever it may be — you can’t absolutely blame the… I don’t know. I guess it’s just an iffy situation.” While conviction without sufficient evidence is always dangerous, Johnson’s comments raise eyebrows to say the least. A.J. went on to say: “You got to take something, even if it’s legal or illegal. With as much training as we do, you have to take something. I mean, it doesn’t have to be illegal, but you have to do something, because you just can’t say ‘I’m going to to home and go to sleep’ and just wake up in the morning and feel better. It doesn’t work like that.” Let’s just hope Johnson’s comments were taken out of context.
MMA NOW A TAINTED SPORT?
Fighting is life-threatening enough without the addition of performance-enhancing drugs. The road ahead looks bumpy for the UFC and one can only hope that fighters’ safety will be paramount. This is not baseball or soccer. This is people putting their well-being on the line for entertainment purposes. PEDs are absolutely unacceptable and must be eliminated from the sport at all costs.
Zack “Attack” Young
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UFC SUFFERING STEROID EPIDEMIC