For all of the idiocy on display at yesterday’s Alistair Overeem hearing in Las Vegas—and there was plenty, to be sure—the biggest winner, in the end, was Frank Mir.
After all, Mir’s the one who coasted into a title fight without having to beat former champion Cain Velasquez. That would’ve been a tough fight for the Las Vegas resident, but now he’s able to bypass it entirely and go after yet another heavyweight title. And all because Overeem couldn’t pass a drug test when he knew roughly two months in advance that one would be headed his way the first time he made a public appearance in Las Vegas.
But perhaps I’ve been too hard on Overeem. Mir, appearing on the UFC’s weekly flagship news show UFC Tonight, said “The Reem” presented a reasonable explanation during Tuesday’s hearing:
I think this is the first time that he’s ever come up positive at tests, as far as I’m aware of. It seems like he had a viable explanation for what happened.
Everybody makes mistakes. We all do things that we’re not proud of. We’ve all made mistakes professionally or in our personal life that are not our greatest moments in life.
To sit there and ostracize somebody and never allow them to redeem themselves, I think would be very against humanity and our overall impression that I try to carry as a person.
I agree with Mir that Overeem will deserve a second chance. Despite the cloud of suspicion that has hovered over Alistair for the last few years, this is indeed the first time he’s actually failed a drug test. Once he’s served his suspension, he’ll be welcomed back in the UFC, and rightly so. Everyone deserves a chance to make something better of themselves.
I don’t agree with Mir’s assessment that Overeem had a reasonable explanation, however. Even if we believe Overeem is telling the truth about being unknowingly injected with testosterone, and even if we believe his shady “doctor” during testimony, there’s still one little matter being overlooked: Fighters are in complete control of what goes into their bodies. And by that I mean it’s their responsibility to know exactly what they’re taking.
The “I didn’t know what I was taking” defense has gained a lot of steam over the past two years, and I can’t understand why. It has never worked as a real defense, and never served as a way to get out of a suspension or clear your name.
It’s simply an excuse, a way to put the blame on someone else, and it’s ridiculous.
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