According to Marlon Vera, there’s a drug that can help fighters pass USADA testing.
UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera believes that cheating is still rife in MMA and that there are ways to get around USADA’s drug testing.
While he would “rather die than cheat”, Vera believes some fighters have access to to drugs that allow them to test clean while using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
“Chito” suggested that former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw is still using PEDs and that USADA should continue testing him for at least a year after his retirement.
“If he comes back, it will be weird because he tested positive already and he said he’s retiring for good,” Vera said on Believe You Me (h/t Middle Easy). “It’s crazy because the moment you retire, you’re out of the [USADA] pool, I’m like, at least test the guy for a year.”
“I believe people are cheating even until this day,” he added. “I really believe that. I heard there’s drugs you can take and literally overnight [the banned substance] kind of like disappear… but I would probably rather die than cheat. That’s just me right.”
Dillashaw is one of the most notorious drug cheats in the sport, having tested positive for EPO in 2019 and handed a two-year suspension by USADA. He returned to competition last year but was forced to retire due to recurring injuries, losing via injury-TKO to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280.
Vera returns to action at UFC Fight Night 219 where he takes on Cory Sandhagen in the main event. The card takes place on Feb. 18, 2023, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.