Performance enhancing drugs, or PED’s, have become the hot topic of great conversation lately within the mixed martial arts community.Nate Marquardt formally introduced this discussion to the masses following his failed drug test to secure the necessar…
Performance enhancing drugs, or PED’s, have become the hot topic of great conversation lately within the mixed martial arts community.
Nate Marquardt formally introduced this discussion to the masses following his failed drug test to secure the necessary license to compete at the UFC Live on Versus 4 event in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Suspended from his main-event matchup with Rick Story and subsequently released from his contract by UFC President Dana White, Marquardt’s justification for his failed drug test was the result of testosterone replacement therapy prescribed by a physician.
Following the release of Nate Marquardt, “The Great” was chastised by a number of fighters including UFC veteran BJ Penn.
Challenging Marquardt’s integrity, Penn blasted Marquardt on his Twitter account and was very verbal regarding the usage of testosterone replacement therapy in mixed martial arts.
This public scrutiny of Marquardt and the use of PED’s by Penn opened up an outpouring of opinions regarding performance enhancing drugs amongst MMA practitioners.
Most recently, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra sounded off on the ever-increasing practice of PED’s in the sport.
In an article released by MMAWeekly.com, Serra stated, “It’s wrong man, it’s really wrong. Let me tell you something. I got to the title without doing anything. I didn’t use anything.”
Further defending his position, Serra went on to state that BJ Penn is also a clean fighter who is against the practice.
“Me and BJ Penn are in that small percentage that don’t do (expletive). There’s a lot of guys that are considered legends, and they’re doing the [H]GH and doing this and that, and it’s obvious, it’s freaking obvious,” Serra adamantly stated.
PED’s are known to provide the user with an unfair advantage. The long-term implications of these drugs are not as well documented as their effects on performance. The inherent danger of their usage can lead to injury.
“There’s certain teams out there that look like they got a freaking chemist assigned to them,” said Serra.
“It’s not that I want to judge anybody, but hey man, I’m fighting these people. Next thing you know you’re in there fighting a guy with unlimited energy that looks like a He-Man figure. I don’t give a (expletive) if it’s happening in baseball, but when a guy can kick your head off, someone can get hurt. There’s a chance for serious bodily harm,” Serra said.
This ever-present practice of utilizing performance enhancing drugs is now becoming more common in mixed martial arts.
Will PED’s taint the landscape of MMA as they have professional baseball? Only time will tell. Until then, the debate rages on as to the credibility of a fighter who utilizes this practice.
(The UFC is calling this ‘a potential Fight of the Night’)
A welterweight scrap between Martin Kampmann and Rick Story has been added to UFC 139, which is scheduled for November 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
(The UFC is calling this ‘a potential Fight of the Night’)
A welterweight scrap between Martin Kampmann and Rick Story has been added to UFC 139, which is scheduled for November 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
0-2 in his last two outings after being on the wrong end of two razor-close decisions to Jake Shields at UFC 121 and Diego Sanchez at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann, “Hitman” will be looking to get back into title contention and into the win column by decisively beating Story. He feels that he won both of his last two fights, which will likely motivate him not to leave things to the judges the next time.
“The Horror,” who is also coming off of a loss — his first since 2009, won’t be giving up a win easily. He was upset by late replacement Charlie Brenneman who stepped in for Story’s original opponent at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry, Nate Marquardt, who was denied a license for the June event in Pittsburgh due to elevated levels of testosterone. Prior to that Story, who replaced injured Anthony Johnson on the card against Marquardt, defeated former number one UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves by unanimous decision at UFC 130 one month earlier.
The card will be headlined by a heavyweight title bout between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos and will likely feature the return of Josh Koscheck who has been sidelined while rehabbing a broken orbital bone he suffered in his UFC 124 welterweight championship bout with Georges St-Pierre in December. Also on the card will be a bantamweight bout between Brian Bowles and Urijah Faber, a middleweight bout between Chris Weidman and Tom Lawlor and a lightweight bout between Gleison Tibau and Rafael dos Anjos.
———- UFC 139: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos
November 19, 2011
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
Heavyweight Championship Bout
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos
Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber
Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in MMA is far more widespread than most people realize, according to UFC light heavyweight Krzysztof Soszynski, who told Ariel Helwani on Tuesday’s edition of The MMA Hour that there are far more elite fighters using steroids, testosterone, and other PEDs than there are fighters who compete totally clean.
“I would definitely say somewhere in the percentage of 85 percent of guys are definitely using, especially the guys who can afford it are definitely using,” said Soszynski. “I would even go as high as 95 to 96 percent of the top level athletes that are definitely using it. You can clearly see it.”
Soszynski has been out of action with a knee injury since his decision victory over Mike Massenzio at UFC 131 in June, but the rehab process opened his eyes to the easy availability of performance-enhancers in MMA, he said.
“I even had someone talk to me about stem cell injections. You’re looking at stuff like EPO, and at least five or six different counterfeit drugs out there that people are using and they’re not even detectable in the body. It’s just amazing to me how far athletes are willing to go to make their mark in this sport.”
At the same time, Soszynski expressed a degree of empathy for PED users in MMA, and expressed doubt that the problem could ever be fully eradicated.
“If there’s a substance you can take out there that’s going to make you bigger, stronger, more explosive, going to help you train harder, going to help you train longer, and it’s going to help with your recovery as well, and you know if you take it the right way and follow the right instructions, you’ll never get caught for it, wouldn’t you take it?”
Soszynski said the current system that most athletic commissions use of testing fighters just prior to fight night is completely ineffective, since that’s when “you’re only going to catch the dumb guys, who have no idea what they’re doing.”
Instead, he said, MMA needs random, out-of-competition drug-testing.
“I totally agree [with random testing]. Ten weeks out, eight weeks out, six weeks out — that’s when all the training happens. That’s when you’re training at your hardest, at your peak. Every athlete who knows how to train properly knows they’re going to have to taper off two weeks, two and a half weeks out from their fight so they’ll be in perfect condition for their fight. All the hard training happens eight, ten weeks [from the fight]. That’s the time when everybody’s doing their drug abuse and that’s when they’re taking their testosterone and their steroids. That’s when I think fighters should be tested.”
As for fighters like Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen, who have recently argued that they have a legitimate medical reason to undergo testosterone replacement therapy, Soszynski said that it creates an uneven playing field to allow some fighters to inject themselves with hormones but not others.
“My thought on that is very simple: either everybody does it, or nobody does it. If guys are doing it and the commissions are allowing these guys to do it as long as they get to a certain level within their bodies, then we all should be allowed to take it as long as we get our levels to a certain number. That’s what I believe.”
Soszynski, who’s no stranger to a pro sports drug culture after experiences with pro wrestling and competitive bodybuilding, added that while most fighters might be on PEDs, he’s among the small percentage that isn’t. My thought on this is very simple: either everybody does it, or nobody does it. — Krzysztof Soszynski
“I haven’t used [PEDs] for mixed martial arts,” he said. “Back in the days when I was a bodybuilder, obviously it was a little different. But for mixed martial arts, I don’t. I don’t believe in it.”
As for whether that puts him at a disadvantage, Soszynski said he knows of “a bunch of guys in the sport who don’t [use PEDs] and who are very successful,” but at the same time, “I feel like we should be on an even playing field.”
Then again, just because Soszynski might want it that way — and might fear for MMA’s reputation in the long run if it doesn’t address the PED issue — that doesn’t mean he’s terribly optimistic about the chances of weeding it out completely.
“It’s just part of guys trying to become the best,” said Soszynski. “You want to become the best, you’re going to do anything and everything you can to become the best, and this is one of those things.”
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in MMA is far more widespread than most people realize, according to UFC light heavyweight Krzysztof Soszynski, who told Ariel Helwani on Tuesday’s edition of The MMA Hour that there are far more elite fighters using steroids, testosterone, and other PEDs than there are fighters who compete totally clean.
“I would definitely say somewhere in the percentage of 85 percent of guys are definitely using, especially the guys who can afford it are definitely using,” said Soszynski. “I would even go as high as 95 to 96 percent of the top level athletes that are definitely using it. You can clearly see it.”
Soszynski has been out of action with a knee injury since his decision victory over Mike Massenzio at UFC 131 in June, but the rehab process opened his eyes to the easy availability of performance-enhancers in MMA, he said.
“I even had someone talk to me about stem cell injections. You’re looking at stuff like EPO, and at least five or six different counterfeit drugs out there that people are using and they’re not even detectable in the body. It’s just amazing to me how far athletes are willing to go to make their mark in this sport.”
At the same time, Soszynski expressed a degree of empathy for PED users in MMA, and expressed doubt that the problem could ever be fully eradicated.
“If there’s a substance you can take out there that’s going to make you bigger, stronger, more explosive, going to help you train harder, going to help you train longer, and it’s going to help with your recovery as well, and you know if you take it the right way and follow the right instructions, you’ll never get caught for it, wouldn’t you take it?”
Soszynski said the current system that most athletic commissions use of testing fighters just prior to fight night is completely ineffective, since that’s when “you’re only going to catch the dumb guys, who have no idea what they’re doing.”
Instead, he said, MMA needs random, out-of-competition drug-testing.
“I totally agree [with random testing]. Ten weeks out, eight weeks out, six weeks out — that’s when all the training happens. That’s when you’re training at your hardest, at your peak. Every athlete who knows how to train properly knows they’re going to have to taper off two weeks, two and a half weeks out from their fight so they’ll be in perfect condition for their fight. All the hard training happens eight, ten weeks [from the fight]. That’s the time when everybody’s doing their drug abuse and that’s when they’re taking their testosterone and their steroids. That’s when I think fighters should be tested.”
As for fighters like Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen, who have recently argued that they have a legitimate medical reason to undergo testosterone replacement therapy, Soszynski said that it creates an uneven playing field to allow some fighters to inject themselves with hormones but not others.
“My thought on that is very simple: either everybody does it, or nobody does it. If guys are doing it and the commissions are allowing these guys to do it as long as they get to a certain level within their bodies, then we all should be allowed to take it as long as we get our levels to a certain number. That’s what I believe.”
Soszynski, who’s no stranger to a pro sports drug culture after experiences with pro wrestling and competitive bodybuilding, added that while most fighters might be on PEDs, he’s among the small percentage that isn’t. My thought on this is very simple: either everybody does it, or nobody does it. — Krzysztof Soszynski
“I haven’t used [PEDs] for mixed martial arts,” he said. “Back in the days when I was a bodybuilder, obviously it was a little different. But for mixed martial arts, I don’t. I don’t believe in it.”
As for whether that puts him at a disadvantage, Soszynski said he knows of “a bunch of guys in the sport who don’t [use PEDs] and who are very successful,” but at the same time, “I feel like we should be on an even playing field.”
Then again, just because Soszynski might want it that way — and might fear for MMA’s reputation in the long run if it doesn’t address the PED issue — that doesn’t mean he’s terribly optimistic about the chances of weeding it out completely.
“It’s just part of guys trying to become the best,” said Soszynski. “You want to become the best, you’re going to do anything and everything you can to become the best, and this is one of those things.”
(Deja vu all over again all over again: Frankie and Gray strike a familiar pose at the UFC 136 press conference. Photo via MMAMania)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Fight Nerd Cinema: South Korea’s ‘Champion’ Movie Review (TheFightNerd)
– Underrated Joseph Benavidez Awaits Another Shot (NBC Sports MMA)
– Dana White: Yushin Okami is Best Fighter to Ever Come From Japan (5thRound)
– Start This Morning Off by Watching Skinny Kids Get Beat up by Alistair Overeem (MiddleEasy)
– Jon Fitch Cleared for Competition, UFC 139 Match Against Hendricks Rumored (Five Ounces of Pain)
– David Williams: A Statistical Look at Fedor Emelianenko’s Place in MMA History (FightOpinion)
– Brazilian Reporter Gifts Chael Sonnen a Brazilian Flag (MMA Convert)
– CNN to Air Replays of ‘Mayweather-Ortiz 24/7’ (MMA Payout)
(Deja vu all over again all over again: Frankie and Gray strike a familiar pose at the UFC 136 press conference. Photo via MMAMania)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
JS: Hi Nate. I wanted to kick off by asking you about your recent decision to sign with BAMMA…what are your thoughts on potential opponents? What free agents out there at the moment interest you?NM: Well I’ve already stated that the guys I wanna figh…
JS: Hi Nate. I wanted to kick off by asking you about your recent decision to sign with BAMMA…what are your thoughts on potential opponents? What free agents out there at the moment interest you?
NM: Well I’ve already stated that the guys I wanna fight most are the guys that talk crap. I’d say the biggest possibility would be Paul Daley, Hector Lombard or Ben Askren. Honestly though I would be very pleased to fight any other world class fighters out there at 170.
JS: Do you believe welterweight is your optimal fighting weight?
NM: Yes I do. Right now I’m back up to my old weight and I can tell you I don’t feel as good. I felt great at 170.
JS: And what made you believe BAMMA is the right promotion for you? What had Tom “Kong” Watson told you about BAMMA? How have you found your dealings with the organisation thus far?
There were several things. They offered a very good contract which was fair. They also promote and treat their fighters well. They have some big news for American fans coming up that I’m not sure if I’m allowed to talk about.
I could see myself fighting with BAMMA for a long time. Tom Watson told me that they treat him well and they can get top level opponents. Tom just beat Murillo Ninja Rua. Thus far everything is going well, I’m excited about my future with BAMMA.
JS: Will you be in attendance at BAMMA 7 in Birmingham, England on September 10th?
NM: Yes! Scouting potential opponents and meeting the fans.
JS: Joey Villasenor, your teammate has also signed for BAMMA. It is not inconceivable that you two become the number one and two within their welterweight division. Would you fight a Jackson’s teammate for a belt?
NM: Definitely Joey and I could become the top two in the division. That’s a problem that I am looking forward to having. He’s been my teammate since 2004. Joey, Keith, Rashad, Diego, Greg and I all made the Jackson’s team what it is today and I’ll never forget our brotherhood.
JS: Ok, and what can you tell us about your Jacksons stablemate Eric Perez, who also features on the BAMMA 7 card?
NM: Well I haven’t trained with him much. I believe he trains with the lighter weight guys mostly and I’ve only seen him spar a few times. He seems like a really nice kid though.
JS: Are you excited to actually fight in the UK again when you make your BAMMA debut later this year? Have you ever spent any sustained period of time in the UK following your two previous fights in London?
NM: Yes very excited! We spent about a week after one of my fights there. We hung out with some friends including my ol’ buddy James Zikic.
JS: Sounds great. Ok, following the recent Versus 4 incident, did you appreciate Ariel Helwani affording you the opportunity to broadcast your version of events on his MMAHour?
NM: For sure. He let me tell my side of the story and he was very fair.
JS: OK. I don’t want to dwell on the issue because it’s firmly in the past, but I just wanted to briefly touch upon the reaction from the MMA community to your departure from the UFC back in June.
You are renowned for being a true gentleman, amiable and respectful, so it must be hurtful when less considerate fighters scramble to pass comment and judgement on their fellow fighters?
NM: Definitely yes. There are a lot of people who are quick to pass judgement even when they don’t know both sides of the story. They should not judge unless they’ve been in that situation or if they are an expert on the issue.
It’s even more sad when fellow fighters openly pass judgement when there is a clear discrepancy on what happened.
JS: I believe you have been in Hawaii? Was it a holiday or a business trip? I presume you didn’t pay BJ Penn a visit? What do you make of BJ’s overstated comments since the incident?
NM: Yes I went there on vacation and to watch the fights at Kalapaki Joes. I was planning on stopping by his gym but we went to Kauai (a different island). “Cry Baby J” is an idiot to speak the way he does. I don’t know how a pothead is going to go and be so judgemental over medication prescribed by a doctor.
I’ll assume CryBJ has glaucoma and gets his weed from a “doctor” and I won’t pass judgement on him for that.
JS: Other fighters were quick to jump on the bandwagon with their input: What did you make of Dan Hardy’s quip about you always having a job as a male stripper if you were banned from fighting? Is it a case of a fighter on a losing streak looking to gain publicity off the back of your name?
Or is this verbal retaliation for some of the comments you have directed towards him in the past? Is it the same deal with the relatively unknown/inexperienced Ben Askren?
NM: Hahaha! I actually hadn’t heard about Dan Hardy. Well I guess I would take that as a compliment. At least he didn’t say “a job as a punching bag” or “a mattress” as I’m sure one may say of him if he were to lose his contract after his recent losses.
Ben Askren? Oh, you mean that little goldilocks I saw on twitter? Yeah I didn’t even know who he was until he messaged me. Listen. All these guys are trying to build themselves up by talking badly about me and that will probably never change.
Some guys make a name for themselves by talking and others do it by fighting. I’ve always felt fighting is the best way.
JS: Absolutely, and what about Paul Daley, another man who has been vocal about his desire to fight you under the BAMMA banner? Does it interest you fighting him given his recent two defeats? If you did fight him, would you outwrestle him or would you feel comfortable standing and trading with him?
NM: Honestly his last loss does take away from the interest in fighting him, but he’s still one of the best and I’d still like to punch him in the face! I am confident I would beat him wherever the fight may go. Obviously I would have a wrestling advantage but I am also one of the best on the feet.
JS: What do you make generally of this recent phenomenon of fighters taking to Twitter to air controversial opinions? Is it fast becoming the people’s online octagon in which words seem to count more than action?
NM: Yeah a lot of these guys are really outspoken. Let’s just remember that fighters aren’t fighters because they are intelligent, smart or wise. There are intelligent fighters with good morals, but the guys on twitter, fb and elsewhere that are very ignorant, opinionated and closed-minded are the most outspoken.
JS: I recently spoke to Tom Watson and he vehemently defended you and your integrity as a person/fighter…what does it mean and how does it feel to have your training partners, the men who know you best, support you?
NM: Well that’s just it. You find out who your true friends are. You find out who your brothers are and who is looking out for themselves. It does Tom no good to defend me but he does because he knows my character and he’s a loyal guy. It makes our team even stronger!
JS: Ok, moving onto life outside the cage, can you briefly explain your relationship with MC Hammer? Has he significantly enhanced your social media presence? Do you have Hammer’s back if there is ever a showdown between him and Jay Z?
NM: Hahaha! Yeah of course I have his back against anyone. He is a very important part of my management. He is one of the main reasons we chose BAMMA actually.
Without getting into details, Hammer guided Alchemist and ultimately me toward a specific type of deal and BAMMA quickly stepped up and here I am! He’s the man. He is very wise and I really look up to him. It’s not just a publicity thing, he’s the real deal.
JS: I’d like to see you enter the cage to the tune of “Can’t Touch This” whilst doing the Hammer dance. That would be a fitting tribute to your business partner. And finally, you have recently appeared in a mainstream MMA movie, “Warrior”…was it an enjoyable experience? Any funny off-camera anecdotes which you can divulge?
NM: It was amazing. I made friends with some really cool people like Bryan Callen, Yves Edwards, Joel Edgerton, Gavin and Greg O’Conner, Tom Hardy, Anthony Timbakis, Frank Grillo and all the stunt guys. Yeah there were a bunch of funny things that happened as there always is if Callem is around!
Actually the biggest thing was a situation I’m not very proud of. There was a guy at a sandwich shop that was very rude to my wife and I spiked a 6″ sub on his chest. Everyone on the movie teases me to this day about it!
JS: Haha, that must have been one brave sandwich-artist…okay, well thanks for taking the time to talk and I look forward to meeting you in the UK.
Nate Marquardt appeared on Tuesday’s edition of the MMA Hour, and at times tearfully recounted the events that led to his dismissal from the UFC on Saturday, June 25. Marquardt and his team found out that he had been released by the promotion, the…
Nate Marquardt appeared on Tuesday’s edition of the MMA Hour, and at times tearfully recounted the events that led to his dismissal from the UFC on Saturday, June 25.
Marquardt and his team found out that he had been released by the promotion, the same way that most others found out, via a video message posted on twitter by UFC president Dana White.
Marquardt, and his manager, Lex McMahon, spoke to Ariel Helwani for an hour, going to great pains to explain exactly what led to White issuing that video message.
In short, the pair told Helwani that Marquardt was on physician approved testosterone replacement therapy. In order to prove that the therapy was required, Marquardt had to go off the therapy for eight weeks following UFC 128.
After the eight-week period he was put back on the therapy, but with so little time to get his testosterone levels back to normal, he took a testosterone shot that left him with levels too high to pass his medical exam before the weigh-ins for the UFC on Versus 4 card.
Marquardt was subsequently released from the UFC, even though, according to Marquardt and McMahon, his levels were fine by fight time on Sunday night.
White addressed the Marquardt incident following the UFC 132 presser saying he did not hear what Marquardt told Helwani, but he said that Marquardt would not get his “fourth chance” with the UFC.
“Nate’s done,” White said. “Nate’s a really nice guy, he’s a real sweet, nice, humble guy, but the facts are the facts, it is what it is.”
What follows is the entire video of White’s talk with the media, posted by MMAFighting.com:
In an article released by MMAWeekly.com, Serra stated, “It’s wrong man, it’s really wrong. Let me tell you something. I got to the title without doing anything. I didn’t use anything.”
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in 