MMA overtaking boxing?

This wont happen anytime soon if MMA cannot control it’s growing drug problem. Both Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca come back positive after UFC 73.
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4362&zoneid=2

“In this report released by the CSAC, it revealed that from 3/31 to 7/6 that mixed martial arts had 20 fighters come back with positive drug tests of some sort, with that number now jumping to 22 with Sherk and Franca. During the same time boxing came back with 5 positive tests and kickboxing had 2 fighters come back with positive drug tests.”

This is a sad turn of events. Dana White needs to crackdown on this quickly or MMA will never recover. I personally very much enjoy watching MMA, but won’t do it if every other fighter has a drug history.

  1. Every sport is going to have to deal with PEDs. 21st century.

  2. MMA and boxing are two different sports, with 2 different groups of loyal fans, and many people that enjoy both. Boxing can help it’s resurgence by offering more of it’s fights on cable TV rather than PPV. PPV was intended for mega-fights, and involve fights with any recognizable name. We used to be able to watch Hagler on ABC and title fights on USA Network, now we have to have HBO, Showtime, etc to see higher-quality boxing and have access to PPV. MMA is on FOX, Spike, etc.

I heard Gary Player in an interview over the weekend who indicated that he knew several golfers on steroids. Golfers on steroids?? LOL!

I listen to ESPN Radio at work here in summer (and I need to get doing some work, rather than being on here), but some of the guys that cover golf responded to Players comments saying that many golfers got much larger “overnight”, and they were stunned to see how large some of these guys were when standing next to them (after meeting them previously).

The PGA has made restrictions on equipment more strict. There was one year that Woods was like 22nd on the driving distance list (or something). The pressure for all players to drive the ball long is huge.

I’m not even a golf fan and I know this. I am not at all surprised at the steroids in the PGA claim.

Tiger has gotten rather muscular for a golfer (respectable physique, IMO), but he would have to be the idiot’s idiot to use steroids. Again, at this point, I’m only surprised when I hear of a sport that DOESN’T have a PED situation.

Dana White must be dropping f-bombs all over the place as a result of this one…

So both Sherk and Franca tested positive? What happens to the belt? Do-over?

Good grief, this stuff just won’t ever end, will it?

First of all “MMA” and the “UFC” of which Dana White is President, are not interchangeable terms. Second, the UFC seems to have a pretty damn tough steroid/substance policy. Both these fighters, after testing positive once, are suspended for a full year. Put that up against any other sport. Third, Dana White seems to have been pretty vocal against steroids in the past, and I think, has actually called for government playing a part in this regulation. again, compare that to any other sport.

I like how Sherk had a TV special on how much of a training stud he is the night before he fought. Looking at his physique and watching him run that crazy gauntlet of power, speed, strength, and agility exercises, I thought to myself “Spike TV is going to feel really stupid if that guy ever tests positive for roids.”

I went back and forth over whether or not to drop 40 bucks on UFC 73 to watch Sean S. fight (after having seen him train like a freak). Glad I decided not to spend the cash after this news.

Honestly MMA is a sport where roided up freaks can make it more fun to watch.

Check out Fedor getting tossed on his head by Kevin Randleman for a great example… =)

It’s also the only sport I know of where there have been guys who have tested positive for meth. And then there’s Nate Diaz who gets handed a year suspension for testing positive for smoking weed. Roid freaks, tweakers, and pot heads! Oh my!

yeah, people need to quit worrying about weed.

News to me on Diaz, but so easy to understand. Still, I loved his match with Parisyan and how he took him the distance after all of Parisyan’s “do you know who I am” bs.

I read that Diaz’ THC level was so high, that he benefitted because he probably wasn’t able to feel much pain
.

That’s great. His cardio must be off the meter though. Parisyan can’t take too many more knees to the head, or he’ll start running out of teeth.

grasping at straws
.

What do you mean? I didn’t write it.

I mean they, are grasping at straws to find reasons to rationalize testing for using weed in fighting.

So you’re also saying that fighters should be allowed to toke up before they enter the cage?

If I were president of the world, yes, I would allow that. If I was a coach, I wouldn’t recommend it though.