With any sport athletes are naturally going to look for an advantage – whether that be better equipment, a stricter diet or as has been the case in many professional sports over the years steroids. Lately there has been a lot of press talking about the subject of steroids and/or performance enhancing substances (most notably in baseball). MMA is certainly not immune. MMA athletes have had a long and not-so proud history with the use of steroids over the years. One thing that I have always respected the UFC for is that they test every athlete before a fight. What has been a little vexing over the years is the selective treatment that has been doled out by the UFC over the years towards those fighters caught; some fighters have been black-listed, while others have been brought back into the fold with open-arms.
Let’s look at some famous cases for starters:
- Josh Barnett: Steroids Poster Boy. Early in UFC days, Josh beat Randy Couture for the HW championship title, nothing could sully his victory except – “Oops”, he tested positive for steroids. He was suspended for six-months and stripped of his belt. What most people don’t know is that Josh was busted earlier at UFC 34 for using the juice, and let off with just a warning. Josh has yet to re-enter the Octagon. Josh also was caught before his fight with Fedor at Afflicted Trilogy (which some say led to the downfall of the organization) – some guys never learn.
- Tim Sylvia: Another former UFC HW champion. After his victory at UFC 44 he tested positive and endured a six-month suspension and $10,000 fine.
- Stephan Bonnar: After his second loss to Forrest Griffin he tested positive, and received a $10,000 fine with nine-month suspension. At least he had it in him to admit to his indiscretion.
- Chris Leben: A nine-month suspension and a forfeiture of 1/3 of his purse.
- Chael Sonnen: One of the more recent famous cases, he tested positive after his near victory over Anderson Silva at UFC 117. Punishment was a one year suspension and a $2,500 fine.
- Thiago Silva: Was never actually caught for using steroids, but submitted a urine test that was “inconsistent and likely substituted”. Punishment: one-year suspension and $33,750 fine.
- Nate Marquardt: Tested positive for steroids after his defeat of Ivan Salavarry at UFN 1, but re-testing later came up negative. Nate was later released by the UFC after it was found that he had been using HRT without consent (for the record, Matt Hughes does the same thing – with consent).
- Royce Gracie: Probably the most famous case, Royce tested positive after defeating long-time nemesis Sakuraba. This was a fight outside of UFC, but I still thought it was worth mentioning. Royce was suspended for a year and fined a whopping $2,500. Royce of course, still claims innocence.
These are just a few popular examples (there have obviously been a lot more) of fighters who were caught for using the juice.
Dana White’s reaction to steroid users has always been what’s most interesting to me. Sometimes he’s infuriated and very publicly vocal about his feelings, other times he’s completely mum and you barely hear a peep out of him. Nate Marquardt and Josh Barnett have been permanently black balled by the UFC. Dana White has been very open about how disappointed he in both of these fighters and that he will never have them fighting for the promotion again. So far, he has held true to his word. Chael Sonnen and Stephen Bonnar on the other hand, have been welcomed back into the organization with open arms.
Why? At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to the spectacle. Guys like Sonnen and Bonnar will always draw a crowd – they’re well known names and they help sell pay-per-views. Guys like Barnett and Marquardt are known names around the circuit, but only the hardcore fans would pay to see them fight. While I respect Dana’s ability to put on fights, I think it’s clear to most fans that he tends to soft-soap this matter when it comes to fighters he likes… and the fighter he likes are the one’s that put on fights. I could be very wrong in this suspicion, but the odd coincidences just seem to hard ignore at times – and they stretch well beyond the few examples I’ve given here.
I respect MMA in general for being very consistent with testing all of its fighters before a match. Other sports could take a lesson from this consistency. I empathize (which is different than condone) with fighters and their use of performance enhancers – it’s a sport that takes a huge toll on the body. I encourage anyone to watch “The Smashing Machine” (The life of Mark Kerr) to get a better understanding of why fighters use these types of drugs. My only problem is that sometimes certain fighters seem to get a softer hand than others.
… and that is the last word.
