The prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) is no secret, and almost every fighter has a view on it, including UFC light heavyweight Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
However, Rumble’s recent comments to a reporter are only refreshing in their honesty and not in substance.
Speaking to SiriusXM’s TapouT Radio (h/t Michael Stets of MMA Mania), Johnson practically said that it’s fine to use PEDs as long you don’t pull a “Chris Benoit” (Benoit was a WWE wrestler who shot himself and his family in what is suspected to be an extreme case of “roid rage“).
In his own words:
“If you abuse it, of course you are going to get popped for it and do stupid stuff. But if you use it the right way and you just do what you are supposed to do, then it shouldn’t be a problem. But with the way the world is right now, hell you can… Everything is all messed up right now. I don’t know man. I think if you can do it, do it. I don’t have nothing against it. You know what I’m saying? As long as you don’t kill nobody.”
If that statement gave you pause, the slam dunk was to follow when Rumble suggested that if MMA fighters were paid like Major League Baseball athletes then they wouldn’t use PEDs.
“I’m about to say, either pay us like them (MLB) and then we won’t have to use it, or let us use it so we can get to that level. One or the other… Let us do something.”
Allowing a drug free-for-all is the worst thing that could happen to the sport. The dangers of PEDs are well-documented, and the Benoit example he gave should be a salient reminder of what happens when drug use in the sport goes unchecked.
Not to mention, there are the countless deaths in other sports from the abuse of performance-enhancing substances.
All sports are extreme by their nature—athletes push their bodies far beyond what is healthy, especially in MMA, where the competition is so intense. Adding drugs to that mix is just asking for trouble.
But Johnson’s words are illuminating. He practically conceded that PEDs are a necessity. That’s an attitude that is likely to be much more prevalent in the sport than the lip service we hear from promoters and fighters against their use.
That’s a great shame. PEDs should not be a necessity in sport. If an athlete needs them then he should consider an alternative career. Like the enterprising men who started a new bouquet delivery business in San Francisco.
For the health of the sport and the athletes who compete in it, we must make sure Rumble’s words never become accepted.
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