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Signing Cris Cyborg Would Put a Spotlight on the UFC’s Drug Problem — And That’s a Good Thing

(A vision of a terrifying future? / Photo via FightNext)

On July 5 UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey positively destroyed #2 ranked contender Alexis Davis. The fight, UFC 175’s co-main event, was Rousey’s fourth UFC title defense, and lasted just 16 seconds, making it the second shortest title fight in UFC history. The fight was so short that the UFC didn’t even make a highlight video available. If they had, it would have been the entire bout.

Leading into the contest, commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg tried to sell fans that Davis was going to be a tough test for Rousey. She wasn’t. Davis landed a total of two strikes during the fight, while Rousey landed 16. Most of Rousey’s strikes came after she kneed Davis to the body and threw her to the ground. Once on the mat, Rousey unloaded a series of punches to Davis’ head, and Yves Lavigne mercifully waved off a fight that had to leave some wondering why the matchup was booked in the first place.

At the post-fight media scrum, UFC president Dana White fielded the inevitable question: When will the UFC sign the one female fighter that many feel will give Rousey some true competition, Cris “Cyborg” Justino? Instead of dismissing the question with a tirade about managers, drugs, weight cutting and death — which is White’s usual play — he turned the question around to the media in attendance and asked if they wanted him to sign Justino to the UFC.

White found only one media member that was opposed to the organization signing the current Invicta FC featherweight champion.

After polling the media, White said he didn’t want to hear the media’s “bullshit” if he does sign Justino. “This shit is going to fucking flip as soon as I sign her, about drug testing and all the other bullshit. It will be the biggest fucking topic. It will be the biggest fucking story for you guys to write on whether she’s — oh my fucking God. The script will flip immediately.”

(A vision of a terrifying future? / Photo via FightNext)

By Trent Reinsmith

White found only one media member that was opposed to the organization signing the current Invicta FC featherweight champion.

During the conversation White heard Yahoo.com’s Kevin Iole opine that if Vitor Belfort gets to fight in the UFC, so should Justino.

Iole’s point addressed the fact that Belfort, who failed a 2006 drug test, and a 2014 (out of competition) drug test was mentioned as a potential opponent for UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman following Weidman’s successful title defense against Lyoto Machida in UFC 175’s main event.

Iole made a valid point with his statement. White did as well, but probably not the one he wanted to make.

White does not get to pick and choose what the media that covers the sport of MMA, and specifically his organization, writes and talks about. Yes, he does a good job of controlling the message through bombast, insults, and myth-making, and he does have the ear of the fans, but so what? If White signs Justino to the UFC (and he should), he’s going to hear from MMA media about Justino’s less-than-pristine history with PEDs and drug testing — just like he’s going to hear about these uncomfortable topics whenever Belfort’s next fight is announced, especially if that Belfort fight is scheduled for anywhere except Las Vegas.

Throughout her career there has been a great deal of speculation about Justino’s use of steroids, and she did in fact fail a 2011 drug test, testing positive for stanozolol metabolites. Justino served a one-year suspension for that failed test. What often gets overlooked is that since that time, Justino passed a 2014 random drug test administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

Knowing that Justino has a recently passed random drug test in her back pocket, I’d be much more comfortable with the UFC signing her than I would be with the promotion handing Belfort a title fight directly after his own failed test.

If Justino is signed and booked to fight Rousey, that fight needs to take place in Las Vegas because the state of Nevada has recently shown that they are getting serious with their testing procedures, particularly through random testing. That fact was in evidence when they recently nabbed Chael Sonnen twice for prohibited substances, including human growth hormone (HGH) and recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO).

Justino should have to go through a stringent regime of in-competition and out-of-competition testing if the UFC does sign her, and that testing should be administered by an organization like the NSAC.

Nevada is also where the potential Weidman vs. Belfort contest needs to be booked. With the cloud that hangs over his head, Belfort and the UFC need to get fans to believe he is truly clean before he steps into the Octagon to fight for a title. That won’t happen if he fights in Brazil, or anywhere outside of Las Vegas.

Belfort is going to have to face the NSAC and talk about his failed test, and if they license him to fight in the state, he should have a pamphlet of stipulations that go along with that licensing. One of the biggest stipulations needs to be a robust random drug testing regiment — both in and out of competition.

UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner recently said that the UFC’s goal is to clean up the sport. White has a chance to take some steps toward making that a reality by booking Belfort in Las Vegas, and by signing Justino to a contract.

White does not get to choose what the MMA media writes about, but he does he get to choose who fights for the UFC and where they fight. By signing Justino and booking her to fight in Vegas, and having Belfort fight in Vegas, it will be a good first step toward removing some taint from the sport, and the UFC.

My suggestion? The UFC should sign Justino and book her against Rousey on the same fight card as Weidman vs. Belfort and use that event to highlight the progress that the NSAC and UFC are making toward cleaning up MMA.

UFC 175 Debacle Shows Surprise Testing Is Still Best Weapon in War Against PEDs

Last week’s Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting didn’t quite turn out to be the star-studded circus we all expected. Unfortunately, even this card was subject to change. At one point, it was thought that Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva might all appear—forced to face the music for a variety of drug-related infractions. In the […]

Brian Stann Becomes the Latest Former Fighter to Rally Against MMA’s “Inadequate” Drug-Testing Policies

(The face of MMA’s anti-PED crusade, ladies and gentlemen.)

Does it say more about the UFC or its athletes that classy, universally-respected guys like Georges St. Pierre and Brian Stann only feel comfortable discussing their gripes with the organization’s drug-testing policies after they have stepped away from the sport? It’s hard to say for sure, but in any case, Stann has followed suit with GSP, first lamenting the sport’s drug issues as a “major part” of why he retired earlier this month before further explaining himself during an appearance on The MMA Hour yesterday.

While Stann refused to name names, he was quick to admit that MMA’s lackadaisical drug-testing has made it easy for many a fighter to cycle on and off PED’s over the years — a trend that will continue to plague the sport until a change is made:

I think the time when you retire coming off a loss and then you say that, what I didn’t want to do was discredit any of my former opponents. You know, specifically seeing that Wanderlei (Silva) was my last fight, I didn’t want to come off like, ‘Hey, I’m making excuses. The only people that beat me were people on drugs.’ I don’t know any of that for a certainty. There’s one time when I fought a guy on TRT when it was allowed, and that’s the only time that I could say substantially somebody was taking something. But, it was a factor.

I’m a clean fighter. I’m 33 years old, and I have seen, in my own training, and in talking and knowing guys in the inner circle, I’ve known what guys are not on, and when they cycle on it. You can feel the difference in the gym and what big a difference it makes, and I do think there are a number of guys who are using just because the testing currently by our athletic commissions is inadequate.

(The face of MMA’s anti-PED crusade, ladies and gentlemen.)

I think the time when you retire coming off a loss and then you say that, what I didn’t want to do was discredit any of my former opponents. You know, specifically seeing that Wanderlei (Silva) was my last fight, I didn’t want to come off like, ‘Hey, I’m making excuses. The only people that beat me were people on drugs.’ I don’t know any of that for a certainty. There’s one time when I fought a guy on TRT when it was allowed, and that’s the only time that I could say substantially somebody was taking something. But, it was a factor.

I’m a clean fighter. I’m 33 years old, and I have seen, in my own training, and in talking and knowing guys in the inner circle, I’ve known what guys are not on, and when they cycle on it. You can feel the difference in the gym and what big a difference it makes, and I do think there are a number of guys who are using just because the testing currently by our athletic commissions is inadequate.

It’s not exactly a revelation to anyone who’s been following MMA for more than a week that the lack of random drug-testing is perhaps the biggest issue facing the sport today. Not helping this plight is NSAC chairman Francisco Aguilar’s confirmation earlier this week that each random drug test costs the NSAC between $35,000 and $45,000 to execute.

Without help from the UFC, Aguilar stated, random drug testing simply can’t be fit into the NSAC’s budget. And if you expect the same people who regularly pay someone $8,000 to get their brains smashed in to pay six times that much for what some (falsely) consider an extraneous test, think again, brotha’.

But there you have it: the fastest-growing sport in the world is neck deep in a drug-testing crisis that can only be solved by money it apparently doesn’t have. I wish I could do something other than throw my hands in the air, but I’m just as confounded as Stann is here. Any suggestions, Nation?

–J. Jones

MMA’s Catch-22 Drug Trap: Why So Many Fighters Fall Into Addiction

(MMA competition can provide the stability necessary for a person to beat addiction. It can also create the physical and emotional chaos that leads to drugs in the first place.)

By Santino DeFranco

For months I’ve wanted to get started on an article discussing drug use among MMA athletes, but just haven’t gotten my fingers to the keyboard. For some reason, after seeing Dennis Siver’s positive test for HCG recently — probably the least worrisome drug I’ve ever seen someone test positive for — I’ve decided to get going with it.

In addition to the positive tests for performance enhancing substances that we’ve seen dozens of times in this sport, there has been an alarming number of positive drug tests for recreational and prescription drugs as well. We’ve also seen countless fighters wage personal battles with substance abuse outside of the ring/cage, with several ending in death — accidental as well as suicide. It’s the recreational drugs and prescription painkillers that have caught my attention as something that may need to be addressed.

After seeing so many fighters struggle with drug abuse over the years like Joe Riggs, Drew Fickett, Karo Parisyan, along with those that have passed away from drug-related circumstances like Shane Del Rosario and Shelby Walker, I started to wonder: Is MMA leading athletes to become addicted to drugs, or are people who are more prone to drug use entering the world of mixed martial arts?

What I found out is that the answer to both previous questions is yes. Those more prone to use drugs do enter MMA, and MMA in return, leads those to use drugs and subsequently become addicted to them. It’s a hell of a lot more complex than that, but simply put, MMA fighters, as well as boxers, are kind of screwed.

(MMA competition can provide the stability necessary for a person to beat addiction. It can also create the physical and emotional chaos that leads to drugs in the first place.)

By Santino DeFranco

First, lets take a look at the “those prone to drug abuse enter MMA” concept. In a 2009 article for the Dana Foundation, Brenda Patoine wrote, “There is a well-established relationship between high sensation-seeking and drug use.” Virtually every expert on the subject agrees that there is a relationship between “thrill seeking” — whether that be sex, drugs, bungee jumping or trying new things — and drug abuse. It sure makes sense, doesn’t it? If you’re searching for adrenaline you go to a high spot, jump off of it, and pull a parachute. You land, are filled with endorphins, dopamine and serotonin and feel damn good. But, then you want that feeling again. So you go to the same elevated spot and repeat the process, but this time it’s not the same; it doesn’t feel quite as good. So, you find a higher spot or crazier landing strip or whatever you need to do to make the jump more exciting to replicate the same feeling of euphoria as before.

Sounds kind of like the beginnings of any drug addiction, huh? Well, that’s because it is. Not only just the process, but the chemicals as well. And considering that both drug-addiction and thrill-seeking behavior increase activity in the insular cortex, and both are highly dependent upon dopamine, it’s hard not to see the similarities. Since our brains are pushing us in the direction of thrill-seeking behavior, in the form of jumping into a cage and fighting another human behind a closed chain-linked fence, we are already predisposed to the types of behaviors that lead to drug abuse.

This is where the real fun begins.

Now that the thrill-seeking, predisposed, drug-addict is training and competing in MMA he or she sustains countless injuries, and is prescribed what? That’s right, painkillers — opiates. A substance that releases the same chemical in the brain as the thrill of fighting in front of others or jumping off of buildings, but this time, the person doesn’t even have to get up off of the couch. Pop the pill, the pain’s gone, and the same feeling of euphoria is there! Yay! Except, at some point addiction sets in, and then the person doesn’t even want to get high, he just wants to avoid the physical withdrawals of the drug — not fun at all. A few to test positive for opiates during post-fight drug tests include Bas Rutten, Karo Parysian, James Irvin, and Chris Leben. Those are just a few who have tested positive, and doesn’t include all of the assorted pills flying around the mouths of fighters while not in camp.

But maybe the fighter is lucky, and he avoids any serious injuries. He’ll be okay, right? If I were a magic 8-ball I’d say, “The odds are not in his favor.” The reason? The stresses of professional sports on an athlete are insane. There are the constant physical demands, but there are a ton of mental demands too. There’s the amazing high of victory (getting your hand raised in the cage after a long camp), and trying to recreate that feeling. Then, there’s the depression of losing, and trying to eliminate that feeling. In MMA, there are the anxieties of paying bills and having to pull out of fights due to injury, or maybe your opponent pulls out, or the show doesn’t pay you, or any number of things that lead you to pull your hair out, which is probably why so many fighters shave their heads.

In all seriousness, though, the demands of the spotlight projected on professional athletes are very hard to deal with, and not just in MMA, but in all sports. Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard’s swimming career was haunted by clinical depression, bulimia, and drug and alcohol abuse according to a 2012 article written for Bloomberg, which also mentions Australian Olympian Geoff Huegill‘s strugle with depression and substance abuse. All of those bouts of depression and anxiety, coupled with the availability of drugs, can lead one to a slippery slope — and that’s not even mentioning the involvement of steroids, which are known to cause depression when athletes cycle off of them. I’ve personally come into contact with many fighters that have claimed bouts of depression, and recently Bellator champion Pat Curran has come out publicly discussing his own bouts of depression.

And it continues. Yes, there is even another tie between fighters and drug use. Insane, right?

Most of the previous reasons for MMA athletes to fall victim to drug abuse can be applied to other sports, but this next point is very specific to combat sports athletes who receive repeated blows to the head as part of the job. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is real and it’s finally starting to get the recognition as a major downfall of professional sports, especially football and any form of pugilism.

CTE, as defined by the Sports Legacy Institute] is “a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma. This trauma, which includes multiple concussions, triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau. These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last concussion or end of active athletic involvement. The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, paranoia, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia.”

Many suffering from CTE aren’t even aware that CTE exists, let alone are aware that they may be suffering from it. Instead of seeking professional treatment, drugs and alcohol regularly are used to treat the symptoms, creating more problems, and, often times, leading to deeper addiction.

So, there you have it: MMA fighters are screwed. Though maybe it doesn’t have to be that way. If we demand that our athletes be drug free, we sure as hell need to guarantee that fighters are aware of the problems that may occur with substance abuse in their chosen sport. Coaches need to make sure fighters are able to distinguish between minor aches and pains, and real injuries. Coaches also need to be able to recognize a fighter who has been consuming too many substances, whether those happen to be painkillers, alcohol, recreational drugs, or steroids. Athletes need to be educated about the pitfalls and dangers of drug use, and be aware of what they are putting in their bodies in general. They also need to be cognizant of the strains the sport will place on a person, and that they aren’t supermen, regardless of how dominant they are in the cage; help is available to anyone, and we often need it. Doctors need to focus more on preventative medicine than prescription medicine, and be aware of the drug-seeking signs exhibited by the addicted. And, last, fans need to have a little compassion too. Fighters, and athletes in general, are people just like everyone else. We all have our problems.

It seems that there isn’t one single reason why fighters are prone to becoming addicted to alcohol and drugs, just as there isn’t one single reason anyone becomes addicted to anything, but a myriad of factors play a role — more-so for athletes, especially those that get punched in the face for a living.

Santino DeFranco is a retired MMA fighter who you may remember from his stint on TUF 9, and accompanying fighter blogs for CagePotato. He’s been writing a lot lately. You can follow him on twitter at @tinodefranco.

Jon Jones Isn’t Saying Glover Teixeira Is a Steroid-User…But Why Take Any Chances?

(Jones is so committed to clean competition that he carries a bottle of fresh, hot urine with him at all times. / Photo via Getty)

Earlier this month, Jon Jones revealed to FOX Sports that he requested random drug-testing for himself and Glover Teixeira in advance of their light-heavyweight title fight at UFC 172 (April 26th, Baltimore). At the time, it seemed like Jones was taking up the Anti-PED Superhero mantle from Georges St-Pierre.

“It was something me and my management team asked for several months ago,” Jones said. “We thought it would be great to make sure everyone was playing fair in this fight. I’m not accusing my opponent of anything, but it’d just be great to see. [The Maryland State Athletic Commission] said they would need the UFC to approve it, the UFC approved it and paid for the whole thing and they never told me or Glover when our tests would come…

“I just think it’d be great to know that the athletes that are competing are competing clean,” Jones said. “I’ve never taken any kind of performance-enhancing drug and I don’t think any of my opponents should. I know that I’ve probably fought people in the past that have, and I’ve still come up with a way to win, but I just think it’s important that it goes away.

“I want our sport to be a clean sport. I want athletes to have pride and hard work and that’s why I thought I would put my money where my mouth is and get the test for myself. I have no right to accuse [Teixeira] of being on anything,” Jones said. “I know when people get chances to fight for world titles maybe they’ll do anything to get an edge, and I think the only edge you should have is work ethic so I thought we should both get tested.”

Now, in a follow-up interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Jones explained what really motivated him to request enhanced testing for this fight, and it has nothing to do with any lofty goals of cleaning up the sport. Basically, Glover Teixeira is 34 years old, he’s strong as an ox, and Jones finds that kind of suspicious:

(Jones is so committed to clean competition that he carries a bottle of fresh, hot urine with him at all times. / Photo via Getty)

“I just thought I would have Glover tested because he’s not the youngest fighter and everyone raves about how strong he is.”

“Some fighters, you just know they’re not on anything just by looking at them. Part of (Teixeira’s) mystique is his amazing physical strength and I just questioned it. I have no reason to think he’s on steroids but I do wonder how someone can be so strong.”

“I called Dana White and said, ‘Hey, I want Glover to take steroid tests for this fight,’” Jones said. “He asked me, “What, you think he’s on steroids?’ I told him I don’t know and I have no reason to accuse him of anything but I would like to be sure.”

“Dana told me how the Georges and Johny Hendricks thing became one big cluster because Georges wanted Johny to be tested by a certain company. He recommended I not go that way and talk to the commission directly so I said, ‘OK.’ ”

Alright, so maybe this isn’t going to help his narc reputation, but if Jones wants to use his pull as champion to demand additional drug testing for title fights, how is that a bad thing? Along with the recent ban on TRT and Dana White’s claim that all UFC fighters will be drug tested on fight cards going forward, the environment for PED users is growing more hostile. Baby steps, people.

The question now, is: What happens if Teixeira tests dirty for something and has to be pulled from the card on a week’s notice? Would you draft Phil Davis into the main event, or just cancel this thing altogether?