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conjsports.com correspondent
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There is nothing new under the sun, for as long as there have been sports competitions, there have been cheaters attempting to secure outside and unfair advantages
In the MMA and fighting world, cheating takes the shape of chemicals and performance-enhancing drugs. Since the establishment of professional fighting leagues, PED’s have been a plague that have ravaged the honor of fight sports and have even changed the course of the lives of even the most decorated fighters. It is a very divisive issue that continues to take the spotlight of the MMA world.
In the early, unregulated days of the UFC, fighters were rarely ever tested. The use of PEDs was widely suspected.
It was not until the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) stepped in and joined forces with the UFC putting forth tremendous changes to regulations on April 1st, 2017. They have made for a much more level playing field. They have stated which substances are not allowed and they drug test every fighter before and after fights, if one fails they will be tried by the agency and given a ban depending on what and how much they used and if they are repeat offenders. It was arguably one of the most progressive moves in getting MMA recognized as a professional organized sport and not “human cock-fighting,” as once referenced by U.S. Senator John McCain.
Thestatszone.com has compiled an incredible chart which recounts the records of world-class, top level fighters after they received bans as a result of their PED use. In this simple analysis, they tell us to keep in mind that the “does not imply that fighters were using PED’s all the way up until their ban, and also does not imply that they have been clean after the ban for that matter.”
This graph shows a sample of fighters win percentage before and after they were banned from fighting for using different PED’s. The average win percentage of these fighters before their ban was a very strong 78%, however after they were flagged and punished for their doping, the averages plummeted 33%, to a 45%-win percentage.
Despite the moderately successful efforts to regulate and clean-up the sport, we still see that PED’s are a hot button issue in the fighting world.
The MMA world is currently erupting in the wake of former UFC middleweight Champion and most certainly would-be hall of famer, Anderson “The Spider” being flagged for an anti-doping violation by USADA this week. “The Spider’s” October 26th urine sample returned positive, it is his first violation after the new USADA laws.
However, it is not his first-ever violation. He failed a drug test in January 2015 after testing positive for drostanolone metabolites and methyl adrostane, a form of testosterone before the new USADA laws. He was given a year suspension from fighting and a $380,000 fine from the Nevada State Athletic Council, unfortunately he did not claim responsibility and instead blamed tainted Cialis pills.
Silva has been pulled from his upcoming bout with middleweight Kelvin Gastelum, which was set to take place at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China on Saturday, November 15, 2017.
The substance that evoked a positive test has not been identified yet but Anderson has posted this to his official Instagram yesterday.
Once again, he has avoided the looming questions of why he is doing this and in fact it feels like he has given the public nothing to believe or think about. It seems like he is avoiding the problem, bringing God into a matter of his personal choices is not professional or ethical way to handle his woes at all. He makes it seem like things are out of his control when he is clearly a problem PED user.
A folk hero in his hometown of São Paulo, Brazil, “The Spider” gets his prestige from his one of a kind reign as UFC Middleweight champion, having successfully defended his belt a then record 10 times, finishing eight of those fights against world class competition either by submission or knockout. He held onto the belt for 2,457 days, longer than any other champion in history. Silva also has the most finishes in the UFC with 14, he has the longest win streak in UFC history with 16, which is absolutely unheard of.
Unfortunately for him, his triumphs now take the backseat to his troubles, unable to stay clean it seems he is on his way out and is making himself more forgettable and less likeable with each blunder. Before his ban he won a stunning 33/40 fights and after he has only won one out of his three.
UFC Announcer Joe Rogen has broadcasted nearly every one of Silva’s fights. He used to hold very high praise and upmost respect for the Brazilian Muay Thai legend.
In one of his old podcasts, The Joe Rogen Experience he said, “One of the most terrifying aspects of MMA is being stuck in the cage with a guy like Anderson Silva. He does things that are creepy, in the sense that they are so good, you didn’t think they could possibly be done.” He added that, “When he was on his tear as champion, you would think he was a Jedi Knight, the guy would dodge everything you threw at him and counter flawlessly. He destroyed top fighters effortlessly.”
It is a much different story this week, in this week’s Joe Rogen Experience, he said, “he’s not surprised, it makes senses he doped because he’s 40 years old now.”
It is truly heartbreaking to see that the man who used to have a case for being one of the greatest fighters of all time is now a washed-up laughingstock and banned from the sport he loves all because he could not stay away from drugs and cheating.
In light of all this information that has emerged it’s nearly impossible to argue for his greatness, the public knows he has been cheating, he knows he has been cheating and he still can’t own up and take responsibility for his actions. These are not the makings of a champion, instead of someone weak in moral characters.
Luckily, out of all this turmoil and sadness, fight fans get to see how using drugs is wrong and how it hurts the sport. It instills a sense of pride in those fighters who can fight and win cleanly. For the good athletes who choose to stay clean and fight naturally it only brings more glory and pride to the sport.
In October 2017, flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson submitted Ray Borg via an arm bar for his 11th-straight title defense.
With this win, he passed Silva’s former record of 10 defenses. In the press conference after the fight “Mighty Mouse” Johnson said, “It’s really good not to hear Anderson Silva’s name next to my name.”
It is a remarkable day when a fighter who has never used PED’s has broken the record of someone who did, fans get the pleasure of having a real and honest champ. Johnson has done the unthinkable through his own efforts and not chemical enhancements.
Johnson’s coach, Matt Hume told reporters that fighters who fail PED tests should be disqualified from the greatest of all time discussion in reference to Silva.
He stated: “Because if you have a PED failure, then the things you have done before were on PEDs. If you’re going to count that – you don’t know when he was, when he wasn’t. With anyone.
“Are we just going to then open it up and say, ‘Let’s see what Demetrious Johnson would do with PEDs in his system?’ He’s done more than any of the guys and he’s beaten guys who were on PEDs in title fights – who tested positive later.
“And he’s done all that without taking anything. And he never will. He doesn’t even do supplements. So yes, if people are taking things that they shouldn’t be taking to help their performances, then it doesn’t count against guys like Demetrious Johnson – who do it clean.”
With all this haziness linked to PED use behind closed doors, the public actually gets some clarity. As long as the UFC and USADA continue to crack down on doping, uniformity and fairness will continue to be the foundation of the sport and the real ultimate fighters are revealed and continue to fight for fairness and equality between fighters will allow MMA to continue to grow worldwide.