Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive
Eight weeks out from a UFC title fight, an injured ankle put Hermes Franca in a bind and he thought the only remedy was in a steroid-filled syringe.
“I came here from Brazil with $300 in my pocket and I was working hard for all my dreams to come true,” the mixed martial arts fighter said. “But my body was all (messed) up. I wasn’t able to train. It was a mistake, but I felt I couldn’t say ‘no.’ “
Instead of passing up a title bout with Sean Sherk at UFC 73 in July 2007 for what would have been the biggest payday of his career, Franca began taking the steroid Drostanolone. Franca lost the fight via unanimous decision, but any victory would have been short lived, as a post-fight drug test mandated by the California State Athletic Commission discovered the steroid in his system. Ironically, his opponent Sherk also flunked his test, which found that his natural Nandralone level far exceeded what the body can produce naturally.
One fight. Two positives. No title awarded.