Issue 114
May 2014
Marijuana shows up on more MMA drugs tests than any PED. And judging by the sport’s past that’s not about to change any time soon
Fighters’ drugs tests don’t come back showing steroids as often as they used to. Recently a high testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio, signaling ‘T’ abuse, has been more common. But although the cheaters’ chosen performance enhancer may have changed, a mixed martial artist’s preferred recreational drug has remained the same: marijuana.
Seven years ago, in 2007, it landed ever-popular scrapper Nick Diaz with a six-month suspension from the Nevada commission. It’s one of MMA’s most memorable drugs flunkings because it changed his stunning comeback gogoplata victory over lightweight great Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 to a humble no contest.
Since the start of 2013, present and former UFC fighters Pat Healy, Matt Riddle, Robbie Peralta, Alex Caceres, Yancy Medeiros and Jessica Eye have submitted samples that came back with traces of marijuana. Even the officials were at it: well-regarded referee Josh Rosenthal got a three-year prison sentence in July for growing and distributing the plant.
A year after Diaz’s 2007 bust (he was caught again in 2012) we ran a feature that shed light on the true attitude towards weed in and around mixed martial arts.
“So many great fighters train and compete stoned,” vaunted grappler and trainer Eddie Bravo told FO in our April 2008 issue. “I know a guy, he’s one of the greatest American grapplers, and he competes stoned all the time and kills everybody. Don’t think it’s just grapplers either. There’s a tonne of strikers out there who do it, they’re all just very secretive about it.”
And judging by the number of failed drug tests since then nothing has changed. Except the UFC’s stance.
Six years ago the promotion’s vice president of regulatory affairs, and former Nevada commission head, Marc Ratner told us: “Recreational drugs are illegal. If a fighter is taking something illegal, it’s not right. We’ve very much made up our minds on this, we don’t want anybody using anything illegal.”
While the UFC still won’t want fighters using prohibited recreational narcotics, it has become more lenient. Ratner lobbied the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) in March last year to reevaluate its standard six-month punishment for cannabis, saying: “I just cannot believe that a performance-enhancing drug and marijuana can be treated the same,” encouraging the NSAC to move with the times.
In June, the UFC relaxed its rules when it conducts its own testing, officially shifting its threshold for the infringement, meaning more would have to be present in the sample to test positive than previously. Three months later Nevada followed suit, tripling its limit.
Will that make use of the drug more prevalent? Unlikely – the tougher standard was evidently no deterrent.
But it means it certainly isn’t going anywhere either.
NOSTRADAMMAUS:
THE NEXT BIG THING
Some never believed Brock Lesnar could become UFC heavyweight champion, but not us. We saw something in the former pro wrestler’s UFC debut, a competitive 90-second submission to Frank Mir at UFC 81, that had us making a very accurate prediction.
“Lesnar’s potential is undoubtedly bona fide,” we wrote. “He showed some rookie errors in his short outing… but with his size and wrestling skills he will be a danger to anyone in the division. All he needs now is a fight or two to allow him to grow into his new role as a mixed martial arts fighter, and we could potentially see big things from him.”
eLSeWHeRe IN THe aPRIL 2008 ISSUE
TITO OR TEASE
We reported in our April 2008 issue former UFC champion Tito Ortiz’s assertion that there was “zero” chance he would fight for the UFC after his forthcoming bout with Lyoto Machida, which he ultimately lost by decision. At least not if old foe Dana White was still president. Number of days Dana was without his UFC presidency since then? None. Amount of times Tito fought for the UFC afterward? Six.
IT’S (PAST) SAPP TIME
Our monthly ‘hot or not’ chart placed Japan’s favourite fighting behemoth, Bob Sapp, at the bottom of the ‘not’ category. The kickboxer-turned-MMA fighter had just been TKO’d inside a minute by then 1-5 ex K-1 name Jan Nortje in Strikeforce and we recommended he hang them up. He should have listened. He was 9-3 at the time and 2-15 since.
YAMMA DABBA DON’T
Ex UFC owner Bob Meyrowitz tried to get back into mixed martial arts in April 2008 with his YAMMA promotion. Its selling point was matchups between heavyweight legends in a special cage fitted with sloped sides. We weren’t optimistic about it and rightly so; it lasted just that one event. “Perhaps (YAMMA) can fly in the face of all common sense, promotional logic, economic reality and the lessons learned in the past decade. And perhaps the skies will be full of winged pigs and Satan will be ice skating to work.”
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