Yves Edwards PED solution: We hold each other accountable

PEDs in MMA

From: Yves Edwards

Member Since: 1/1/01

Posts: 246

What’s up UG? PEDs have been around MMA for as long as I can remember and now that Anderson joined the Peds (like the Feds only completely different) there has been a bigger push for reform. I recently wrote a blog post about it and because the UG is like the spirit of MMA, for me anyway, I want to know what you think. Please read it and tell me if you’re picking up what I’m putting down.

http://www.yvesedwards.com/mma-peds/

Performance enhancing drugs are like recurring characters as the world of MMA turns. I remember when I lived in Houston, way back in 05’, guys were getting popped for pissing dirty and ever since then there has been a steady stream of fighters getting caught with PEDs in their system. Fast forward to 10 years later and the guy many consider the greatest ever gets popped in a pre-fight out of competition test, then gets popped again in a post fight test. Which in my head at least, puts an asterisk next to his name in the history books. I don’t want to believe that Anderson was using vitamin S throughout his UFC career but now if someone makes that argument I can’t say with conviction that he didn’t. Imagine this, if a guy fights at altitude and doesn’t seem to tire at all while his opponent does and he wins by submission; then in his next fight he tests positive for EPO would you believe that the time he got caught was the first time that he used it? I know I wouldn’t; because I don’t.

This is combat sports and I know for a fact that although our sport is now hugely accepted worldwide as legitimate, there are still those out there that think the nature of MMA makes us barbarians. That being said you don’t want to be the guy/girl who’s out there one night that seriously hurts someone else and hospitalizes them or worse, and then have your test come back positive for banned substances. Not only will that incident stay attached to you for the rest of your career, however short it may be after that, but if you have a conscience it will probably stay with you for the rest of your life. Now the UFC is implementing new policies in the MMA’s war on drugs and many, myself included, are glad to see stricter penalties for cheating. Of the updates to the penalties and policies the biggest in my opinion are:

•A 2-4 year minimum suspension even if you’re a 1st time offender, up from 9 months.

Everyone on every card will have their blood and urine tested. In the past I think some states tested urine but most randomly selected a few guys from the card, there were a few states that tested all fighters. I’ve never been subjected to or heard of someone having to submit to a post fight blood test.

•Random testing for everyone on the roster year round

This is completely new, and all title fight fighters will be subject to out of competition tests.

This is huge and definitely a good thing if the sport is to be cleaned up, but just like haters are going to hate, and 10ers are gonna 10, cheaters are going to cheat. Therefore although I applaud the UFC for taking a stronger stance in the fight against PEDs we can’t look to Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta to fix the whole problem; because I wholeheartedly believe even with these new penalties someone is going to get popped for steroids before the end of 2015. Maybe some of that stems from the lack of concern from non PED users. Most guys I know don’t and haven’t juiced and are against it but when the subject comes up in the room even the guys who express no interest in using them also aren’t threatened by someone that is suspected of using or that has been disciplined for their use in the past but that’s a fighter’s mentality, that’s an athlete’s mentality.

Let me give you an example, If a sprinter knows that another guy in the race has a better time than him they think, I’m just going to have to run faster. That attitude in a lot of instances reflects how fighters who don’t use PEDs feel about it also. If he’s juicing he’s weak anyway so I’ll break him, you have to have that mentality to be a fighter in the first place, in my opinion, but that attitude isn’t helping to get steroids out of the sport. So here’s my solution.

Fighters, fight teams, coaches, significant others, mentors, brothers and sisters have to hold each other accountable. I still remember how hard the grind is but every time I’ve ever had to grind through a training camp I had to do it with the guys who are the closest in the world to me. I’ve had more fights than I can remember, I’ve stepped into the ring/mat/Octagon over 80 times and there was not one single time that I’ve ever had a concern about pissing dirty, ever!!! Not because I knew how to work the system, not because I wasn’t afraid of the penalties if I got caught cheating. I never had a concern about pissing dirty because if I got caught using PEDs I wouldn’t have the balls to look Dustin Poirier, Robbie Lawler, Ricardo Liborio, Kami Barzini, Tonya, Destiny and Yvan Edwards, or any of the guys at ATT in the face. I could only imagine how disappointed they would be in my if they knew I cheated, and I don’t know how I could face that. They’re the reason that I couldn’t bring myself to cheat. They held me to a standard and they still do.

Granted nothing is going to remove PEDs from MMA to the 100% mark, but with the new penalties along with teams and teammates holding fighters accountable we can make a serious dent in their usage. Imagine if teams suspended fighters for cheating, and every team world wide respected that suspension like athletic commissions do. If we truly want PEDs out of the sport testing and stiffer penalties will help, but holding each other to a higher standard would be even more effective.

But what do I know? I used to get punched in the face for a living.

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