Grappling sensation Gordon Ryan has never been a fan of USADA.
Not because his top rivals routinely demand the no-gi “King” get tested to help explain his constantly evolving (and devolving) physique. Instead, Ryan insists random drug testing will “ruin” combat sports and create an uneven playing field, which is the exact opposite of its intended purpose.
That’s why Ryan is celebrating the “amazing news” that UFC is dumping USADA.
“If the UFC ‘regresses’ back to the old days, this is amazing news,” Ryan wrote on social media. “The reason people watch professional sports is almost exclusively for entertainment value. Few people who watch pro sports have any real desire to excel at those same sports, so really, they are just watching for the most entertainment. The higher the testosterone, the more physical the athletes are, the less prone to injury they are, the faster they recover, the longer they can compete, and the more entertaining and high paced they are. The better they look, the more attention they draw, the more money they make.”
“In addition, people think that just because athletes are being tested by USADA or WADA that they are natural LMAOOO,” Ryan continued. “With the l amount of money, pride, and legacies on the line, BEATING drug tests has become a multi-billion dollar industry. This means that the athletes who have money or are a part of big teams with the resources needed are able to actually beat the tests. This has historically been proven time and time again. This means top-tier athletes have the money and resources to use PEDs and get away with it, and up-and-comers don’t. This creates an uneven playing field. If there’s no testing, then every athlete can use what he or she wants, and the playing field is now level.”
It only costs $20,000, according to this UFC title contender.
“An argument that could be made for the athletes who choose not to use PEDs for various reasons” Ryan said. “But at the end of the day, if you want to be a UFC champion, and you know there’s something out there that is legal, that could pretty significantly increase performance when taken correctly, and you choose not to take it, how bad do you really want to be a UFC champion? To be the greatest of all time? To be the GREATEST OF ALL TIME at anything worthwhile means doing things others won’t do. If you want to be average, do what everyone else does. If the UFC chooses to stop drug testing, the sport will blow up, athletes will be healthier and compete longer, and fans will enjoy watching more…period.”
The UFC-USADA partnership will end in 2024 — just in time for the return of Conor McGregor — and it is not yet known if the promotion will seek out a new drug-testing agency or simply rely on local athletic commissions to handle the pre- and post-fight exams.
Either way, Jon Jones is the happiest heavyweight in UFC after yesterday’s news.