Now, Mirko Filipovic is also expressing his displeasure with the organization after he was suspended for two years after he admitted to taking the banned substance human growth hormone, which eventually led to him being pulled from his fight against Anthony Hamilton at UFC Fight Night 79 last November.
According to “Cro Cop’s” comments on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting), it isn’t fair that he received the same sentence as the other fighters who actually failed a test. In his eyes, that simply isn’t justice.
“The whole thing that happened with USADA, it just isn’t supposed to happen. It just isn’t supposed to happen. I could be warned. I could be, at the end of the day, suspended a few months. Six months, whatever. But when your test comes completely negative and you suspend that person for two years, the same sentence like some other fighters who was caught after the fight, so they did the fight under doping, under prohibited substances that was found in their body. And they get the same suspension? That isn’t justice.”
Sure, had Mirko not informed USADA of the transgression prior to his fight, it would’ve surfaced after the bout anyway. But as the Croatian striker sees it, he was being honest while others hid the facts and got to fight (and get paid) only to get busted soon thereafter.
“They were caught after the fight. So they put the money in their pocket, they fought, they earned the money and they get the same sentence like I did. It’s not fair. But let’s not talk about it anymore. I just had to mention it. From my point of view, that is not justice.”
Furthermore, Mirko wasn’t too pleased with the fact that USADA offered him a reduced sentence if he snitched on other potential violators; an actual option that legally exists under the UFC anti-doping policy.
“Offering a fighter that the suspension will be reduced if I snitched on someone, it is below every level. That’s how I see it. If I’m guilty punish me, but don’t come with that kind of offer. And if you punish me for being completely negative, which means I didn’t use any prohibited substance, you cannot give me the same punishment.”
He will make his debut with the promotion when he takes part in the upcoming Open Weight Grand Prix, which is set to go down on Sept. 25 in Tokyo, Japan.
United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) sure has caught a lot of flack as of late.
Now, Mirko Filipovic is also expressing his displeasure with the organization after he was suspended for two years after he admitted to taking the banned substance human growth hormone, which eventually led to him being pulled from his fight against Anthony Hamilton at UFC Fight Night 79 last November.
According to “Cro Cop’s” comments on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting), it isn’t fair that he received the same sentence as the other fighters who actually failed a test. In his eyes, that simply isn’t justice.
“The whole thing that happened with USADA, it just isn’t supposed to happen. It just isn’t supposed to happen. I could be warned. I could be, at the end of the day, suspended a few months. Six months, whatever. But when your test comes completely negative and you suspend that person for two years, the same sentence like some other fighters who was caught after the fight, so they did the fight under doping, under prohibited substances that was found in their body. And they get the same suspension? That isn’t justice.”
Sure, had Mirko not informed USADA of the transgression prior to his fight, it would’ve surfaced after the bout anyway. But as the Croatian striker sees it, he was being honest while others hid the facts and got to fight (and get paid) only to get busted soon thereafter.
“They were caught after the fight. So they put the money in their pocket, they fought, they earned the money and they get the same sentence like I did. It’s not fair. But let’s not talk about it anymore. I just had to mention it. From my point of view, that is not justice.”
Furthermore, Mirko wasn’t too pleased with the fact that USADA offered him a reduced sentence if he snitched on other potential violators; an actual option that legally exists under the UFC anti-doping policy.
“Offering a fighter that the suspension will be reduced if I snitched on someone, it is below every level. That’s how I see it. If I’m guilty punish me, but don’t come with that kind of offer. And if you punish me for being completely negative, which means I didn’t use any prohibited substance, you cannot give me the same punishment.”
He will make his debut with the promotion when he takes part in the upcoming Open Weight Grand Prix, which is set to go down on Sept. 25 in Tokyo, Japan.
