MMA Pride fighters test positive

[mr.october]

Report: Belfort, Nastula Fail Post-Fight Drug Test

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (Pictures) and 1996 Olympic gold medalist judoka Pawel Nastula (Pictures) tested positive for banned substances following their defeats at PRIDE 32 “Real Deal,” reports MMAWeekly.com.

According to the report, the NSAC claims Belfort tested positive for 4-hydroxytestosterone, an anabolic agent known for its anti-estrogenic properties and short half-life. Meanwhile, the Polish grappler provided a sample tainted with nandrolone (commonly referred to as Deca Durabolin) which is used for rapidly building muscle and enhancing recovery from injury.

PRIDE confirmed to Sherdog.com that of the 10 fighters tested following Saturday's card, only Belfort and Nastula came back positive. An official in PRIDE's American office declined to comment on the news without first speaking to Nobuyuki Sakakibara, CEO of PRIDE promoter Dream Stage Entertainment.

This marks the first time PRIDE-promoted fighters have officially tested positive for anabolic steroids. PRIDE, which is not overseen by any sanctioning or regulatory bodies in Japan, has not to this point mandated testing of performance-enhancing drugs for its Japanese events.

Belfort is no stranger to the drug testing policies of North American regulatory bodies. Having fought in five main events in Nevada and California, Belfort, at a minimum, has returned clean tests a handful of times. This past Saturday, the Brazilian lost by decision in a mid-card bout against American Dan Henderson (Pictures).

For Nastula, who has no history of abusing performance-enhancing through his storied judo career, which includes Olympic gold in Atlanta, Saturday marked the first time he was tested by a regulatory body after a mixed martial arts contest.

Ironically, Nastula fell in Las Vegas to former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett (Pictures), the first high-profile MMA casualty of Nevada's drug testing policy. Prior to his bout against Nastula, Barnett was required to provide a drug-free urinalysis so that the NSAC could license him to fight in the States for the first time since being suspended in 2002.

Barnett was also among the fighters — PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), Mark Coleman (Pictures), Mauricio Rua (Pictures), Kevin Randleman (Pictures), Dan Henderson (Pictures), Phil Baroni (Pictures), and Yosuke Nishijima (Pictures) — who tested clean.

Belfort and Nastula join Kimo Leopoldo (Pictures) and Stephan Bonnar (Pictures) in a well known quartet of mixed martial artists caught, either pre- or post-fight, by regulatory bodies in 2006 with illegal performance-enhancers in their system.

The Brazilian and Polish fighters now face the possibility of suspension and/or fines by the NSAC.

Source: Sherdog.com

 

[Steroid Guru]

Wow who would of thought these guys are doing steroids

 

[Ulter]

I can't believe my eyes. Fighters using steroids. What's this world coming to.

 

[Big Rick Rock]

Mark Coleman and Phil Baroni tested clean????

Holy shit!

LOL


They must be Anthony R's consultation clients... LOL



-BRR

 

[reaper99]

hahahahahah i like that ulter. all pros want that edge thats what makes them stand out. i thought pride didn't test for steroids.

 

[Tweakle]

It wasn't Pride testing, they don't give a shit.. it's the Nevada State Athletic Commission doing it's bit as moral policeman.

 

[reaper99]

Americas got enough problems and all we can worry about is steroid users and dancing with the stars.

 

[tempest2003]

yes, im sure a majority of these guys are on da juice, they are freaks some of them

 

[Big Rick Rock]

yes, im sure a majority of these guys are on da juice, they are freaks some of them

I think the users among fighters are a minority.

-BRR

 

[brewers]

who cares who uses. just be the best you can be and use all the tools available to you. just use them correctly

 

[spikemydog]

people cheat but theres no free ride with a/s. you still have to train extreme and diet.

 

[mlong23]

Huge shocker!!! Pro athletes using enhancers. We should just go back to the old days of sports, when guys didn't lift weights, no dietary information and everyone played sports in chuck taylors.

 

[redsamurai]

I think the users among fighters are a minority.

-BRR

I don't.....I've heard the recovery time for overseas fighters, both from wear and tear and from serious injuries, is markedly faster......hmmmm, wonder what that's about. It's funny, people still associate the mass monsters with the extreme roid use....so of course coleman, randleman and such get called out......but in the fight game they're not using roids to build mass.....they just use them differently then bodybuilders.

 

[KD1]

I think the users among fighters are a minority.

-BRR

Not at my gym.

 

[Big Rick Rock]

I don't.....I've heard the recovery time for overseas fighters, both from wear and tear and from serious injuries, is markedly faster......hmmmm, wonder what that's about. It's funny, people still associate the mass monsters with the extreme roid use....so of course coleman, randleman and such get called out......but in the fight game they're not using roids to build mass.....they just use them differently then bodybuilders.

I'm around a lot of fighters, both professional(UFC) AND amateur.

some things you should know:

-Recovery time is the SAME for guys overseas than in the USA or any other place. These guys don't recover fast, they just fight hurt. ALL OF THEM FIGHT WHILE HURTING. They may SAY they are 100% after just being injured at the last event, but thats a bold face lie. They walk into the ring hurting every time.

-Yes, SOME of these guys DO bounce back from injuries quite fast. Steroids in NOT the reason why.
Most of these guys have trained seasoned trainers and therapists that help them with recovery. Exercise, massages, hot pads, equipment, liminet, balms, creams, voodoo, santeria, sacrifices to the dark lord... Anything and everything to get the fighter back in the ring... Sure a little Deca could help, but steroids will not heal an injury (period) any faster than a good massage and therapy exercise program.

1-Genetics. The majority guys that make it to the top level have amazing genetics for recovery. The darwing principle. Those that couldn't take the punishment, retire, quit or just don't fight as often. Those that have fast healing times, get to fight more often, gain experience and make it to the top level. That is it, a bunch of genetic freaks that are almost not human and make us think they are all on juice but, they are actually just gifted.

MOST of the juicers are at the lower levels and smaller shows. They hardly ever make it into the big time.


While Steroids CAN help in recovery and some of the other things. They can not help a fighter as much as they would a sprinter or power lifter. Steroids may help you lift heavier, or maybe even shave some time of your dash. But steroids will not help you see that right hook coming over the top of your lazy jab or help you from getting triangled... The benefit is just not as great for a pro fighter...






-BRR

 

[Steroid Guru]

Yes I agree that steroids dont help in MMA as much as it does in other sports. How many times have you seen a small guy TKO a guy that looked much bigger and stronger then him. Theres a lot more skill involved in MMA then raw power. But still, I bet a lot of the MMA guys are juicing.

 

[tempest2003]

what about eq for endurance? dont you think this would greatly help a fighter? you know those guys are all but 110% spent by the end of 3-5 rounds

 

[ALIN]

not suprised at all,,,i have no problem with these athletes using gear.

 

[KD1]

not suprised at all,,,i have no problem with these athletes using gear.

Me neither, they need all the help they can get to recover. The training alone is brutal and frequently the winner of the fight is just as beat up as the loser.

WTF is wrong with society, let athletes do what they need to do in order to make a living.

 

[Big Rick Rock]

what about eq for endurance? dont you think this would greatly help a fighter? you know those guys are all but 110% spent by the end of 3-5 rounds

Bro,

Why fuck with EQ if you are looking for stamina??? How about you just blood doping, or some other more direct methods?

Steroids are great for stading around looking good. But their practical application so SOME sports is greatly exagerated...

Yeah, a fighter is going to waste his time using DECA to "heal" and injury. When he can just inject a painkiller and train/fight thru it.



-BRR

 

[Big Rick Rock]

My point is that the benefit to Fighters is MINIMAL, compared to other sports. If you are in a benching competition, if the guy is much stronger than you, He will beat you. If you are doing a 100 meter dash, and the guy next to you is Faster, he will beat you. If you are running a marathon, and there is a guy with much more stamina than the rest, he will win.

If steroids did in fact make you Faster, stronger and increased your stamina. In these sports, you would have a huge advantage...

In fighting however…

When you are a fighter, you go up against guys who are much Stronger than you, much Faster than you, in some instances 100lbs heavier than you. Or a guy who has more stamina than you... And you can still beat them, you can still WIN against a faster opponent by using superior tactics(Randy Couture), you can beat guys 200lbs heavier than you, if you employee with laser precise technique(Royce Gracie). Or you can just throw a lucky punch and KO a guy who has every tool possible to destroy you, (Kevin Randelman vs. CroCop #1).

The most primitive sport on earth(fighting), has so many variables, than Steroids can not affect the outcome with as much consequence as some of the more sophisticated sports where wining is measured to the 100th of a second.


PS: I don’t care what anybody tells you. You are BORN with your chin. If it is made of glass, no amount of steroids will ever keep you from going to sleep if it gets tagged right. Some people think anabolics gives them an edge because AAS makes you “aggressive”… I don’t care how mad you get in the ring, when it is lights out, it is light the fuck out… your brain is just not talking to your body anymore, I don’t care how mad a fighter gets on Halo … He can be really mad and aggressive while he lays on the canvas legs ignoring him and his eye balls dancing all around the room.