Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre hasn’t kept quiet on his feelings regarding performance enhancing drugs in MMA.
On a self-imposed hiatus from competition, St-Pierre hasn’t wavered from a set of strong recommendations he’s laid out to help clean up his sport. Last summer St-Pierre said he ‘will never fight again’ without he and his opponent undergoing thorough, advanced drug testing carried out by a credible, independent anti-doping organization like VADA or USADA working under the strictest standards of the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) Code.
With news of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva failing a pre-fight drug screening ahead of his headlining bout with Nick Diaz Jan. 31 at UFC 183, St-Pierre believes the fight should have never happened.
“The fight should be cancelled because it’s cheating, it’s a biological weapon that you have,” St. Pierre told Canada’s CTV News. “If I fight someone with a knife and the promoter and the organization know I have a knife. I’m bringing a knife into the fight, they should not let me fight because I’m carrying a weapon.”
Silva failed a Jan. 9 out-of-competition drug test for Drostanolone metabolites, a common form of anabolic steroid, and Androstane, a form of endogenous steroid hormone. Both substances are banned according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.
“A performance-enhancing drug is the same thing, it’s a biological weapon. It’s an advantage that you have over your opponent that you should not be able to compete with,” said St-Pierre. “Because you put the health of the competitor in jeopardy.
“We’re not playing golf, we’re not racing, we’re fighting. Every time we fight we put our lives, our well-being in jeopardy.”
Saying he was ‘very sad’ for Silva, St-Pierre wants to tackle the sport’s rising PED concern on a macro level rather than dwell on the individual indiscretions of athletes.
“I don’t want to talk about one individual, I want to talk about the system,” said St-Pierre. “The system is a big problem in the sport of mixed martial arts … It’s something that I believe the UFC and fighters should confront and deal with it. Because if you don’t deal with it right now, it’s going to get worse and worse and worse.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
New GOAT. Due to Anderson Silva’s failed drug test, Georges St-Pierre’s head trainer Firas Zahabi says the Canadian star’s status should be elevated to ‘Greatest of all time.’ ‘We have to drop Silva. If he really cheated, we can’t set this example for the youth.’
Another. Formerly an outspoken opponent of steroids, Jon Fitch has failed a fight night urine test ahead of his failed title challenge against Rousimar Palhares at WSOF 16 in December.
Eyes on 155. UFC featherweight No. 1 contender Conor McGregor says he sees a fight with lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is his near future. ‘I have no problem going right up to welterweight to be honest.’
‘You have to work hard.’ Fabricio Werdum says the UFC’s uniform deal with Reebok will only benefit top fighters, not the up and comers.
‘I put my life on the line and they threw me under the bus.’ Cung Le says that he would have rather fought for Bellator than retire, but that he couldn’t get out of his UFC contract.
MEDIA STEW
Cat Zingano’s warrior code.
Tyron Woodley talks training with CM Punk and giving money back to Gastelum.
Get to know Brandon Thatch.
Highlights from RFA 23.
Focus: UFC 183 Edition.
Be not proud, MMA.
Long watches.
…
Faces of Fighting – Kelvin Clay Fonseca
TWEETS
OK.
“@PaulNYMind: @Cowboycerrone why you duck @TeamKhabib ?” Not sure what my deal is?? I’ll try and work it out??
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) February 8, 2015
Good to hear.
.@BloodyElbow These reports are not true.
— Dave Sholler (@Sholler_UFC) February 9, 2015
Deep.
#fortunecookie http://t.co/HfX7FiHImK
— nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) February 9, 2015
Damn.
“@VFS_kevin: Maybe you can stay the night with @MieshaTate and make cupcakes together.” Don’t think she’d be down for that either 😉
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) February 9, 2015
Congrats.
So happy to sign a new contract for 5 more fights in the #UFC Big tnx to my big bro Roger Huerta & all TeamBanterbros pic.twitter.com/z0cv5H1WTn
— Mairbek Taisumov (@MairbekTaisumov) February 8, 2015
#pancrase264 on my way to becoming the 4th feather weight #kingofpancrase chasing #dreams http://t.co/sGyFXEyr5E
— Nam Phan (@NamPhanMMA) February 8, 2015
Fresh printed bout agreement smells like another mark in the Win column #huntingseason #andstill pic.twitter.com/yR35XkqwfL
— Will Brooks (@illwillbrooks86) February 8, 2015
Get well soon.
Going #RoboWoodley so I can still train and work on my weaknesses @ufc #ufc http://t.co/kIGCyUNqka
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) February 8, 2015
Rough stuff.
This is how I feel right now one day you feel like The king of the world because you have defended… http://t.co/C2FEILoqof
— Rico Verhoeven (@RicoVerhoeven) February 8, 2015
Beef.
Beer and hotdogs, coward. @jonfitchdotnet
— BJ PENN (@bjpenndotcom) February 7, 2015
Careful, Marc.
I’d fight Jones, Lesnar & Cain at the same time 4 that”@marc_raimondi:Demetrious Johnson down 4 superfight w/ T.J. Dillashaw for $2 million
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) February 9, 2015
@DerekBrunson @marc_raimondi I’d fight everyone in this tweet at the same time for that money
— Clint Hester (@clinthester) February 9, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced this weekend (Feb. 6-8 2015)
Justin Gaethje vs. Luis Palomino at World Series of Fighting 19
Ronny Markes vs. Thiago Silva at World Series of Fighting 19
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via mathias1.
Back From Ban Bet…Words on Cheating.
So, it was a bad month to have lost a ban bet.
Jon Jones got busted cheating, and it was the fight I lost the bet on.
Had the roles been reversed, I would have shown enough sportsmanship and class to void the bet, but that didn’t happen, so I took my month. No problem.
Anderson Silva? Busted. Cheating.
And let’s be honest, the UFC and the NSAC were all complicit. “The show must go on,” appeared to be the thought process. Rules be damned. Fighter safety be damned. Money rules the day.
…
Check out the rest of the post here.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.