Georges St-Pierre, or “GSP” as he is affectionately known by the MMA community, has spoken out about his struggles with UFC’s lack of testing for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) during the pre-USADA era. The retired Canadian MMA fighter claims that the promotion was reluctant to test their fighters before USADA took over in 2015 and his comments have raised a few eyebrows.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, GSP opened up about how he faced pressure from the UFC while competing without PED testing. According to him, many fighters were using PEDs back then and it made it difficult to compete on an even playing ground. Not only did this create an unfair disadvantage for those not taking PEDs but also put their health at risk as users would take bigger doses than what was prescribed in order to gain an edge over opponents.
“The situation wasn’t good,” said St Pierre. “It was very difficult because you had guys who were juicing like crazy… They thought they could win all these fights; they didn’t care about their health or anything.” He went on to say that despite putting pressure on him and other athletes, UFC never tested its fighters: “They [UFC] didn’t want us tested in a sense… That’s why nobody knew.”
St Pierre’s comments are particularly relevant today given that doping continues to be a problem in mixed martial arts despite USADA being brought into force over five years ago. In 2020 alone there have been numerous cases of fighters failing drug tests including former double champion Daniel Cormier who recently admitted guilt after testing positive for banned substances.
Why Fighter Testing Matters
Testing plays an important role when it comes to ensuring fair play within sports such as mixed martial arts and boxing where success often relies heavily on physical attributes rather than just skill alone. Through regular testing regimes organisations can ensure that all athletes remain compliant with regulations set out by governing bodies whilst keeping them safe from potential harm caused by taking performance enhancing drugs.
Conclusion
It is clear that Georges St Pierre felt frustrated during his time competing under the old rules which allowed some fighters to get away with using PEDS without consequence due too little regulation from UFC itself prior to USADA coming into effect. His comments should serve as reminder of why organisations must strive towards creating systems which ensure fair play between competitors so everyone gets an equal chance of success regardless of whether they choose use banned substances or not.
Comments:
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1. He’s right, it wasn’t a fair playing ground for those who weren’t taking PEDs
2. I understand why he would be frustrated but the rules have changed since then and UFC is properly testing fighters now
3. But how can we really trust that they are doing all they can to ensure compliance?
4. It shouldn’t just be down to USADA or other organisations to keep tabs on athletes, UFC should take more responsibility too
5. Exactly, as an organisation they need to step up and make sure that their competitors are following the rules set out
6. The problem still persists though and unfortunately there will always people looking for an edge in sports like MMA
7. We should applaud GSP for speaking out about his experiences during this time and raising awareness of the importance of proper drug testing in MMA competitions
8. Absolutely, if athletes feel that others may gain an unfair advantage by using banned substances then its only natural for them to want stricter enforcement from governing bodies such as UFC
9 .It’s clearly necessary considering the number of recent cases where fighters have tested positive for doping – there needs to be greater accountability within MMA when it comes to these issues
10 .UFC must do whatever it takes so competitors feel confident that battles are being fought fairly without any one person gaining an unnatural edge over another
11 .Right now seeing as PEDs remain rampant in MMA despite USADA’s efforts, something definitely needs to change! 12 Agreed – proper drug testing has always been essential when it comes combat sports so fighters know they’re safe going into each bout regardless of what their opponents may or may not be doing outside of competition