Steroids Test MMA's Resolve

Eight weeks out from a UFC title fight, an injured ankle put Hermes Franca in a bind and he thought the only remedy was in a steroid-filled syringe. Franca lost the fight via unanimous decision, but any victory would have been short lived, as a post-fight drug test mandated by the California State Athletic Commission discovered the steroid in his system. The problem has been further highlighted in recent weeks when federal authorities said former interim UFC heavyweight champ Shane Carwin allegedly received shipments of anabolic steroids and UFC middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen tested positive for abnormally high levels of testosterone in the aftermath of UFC 117. "There are always going to be problems," White told MMA Fighting before UFC 119 last weekend in Indianapolis. On the strict end are states like California, Nevada, Missouri and Oregon where fighters are tested thoroughly on the day of the event and are subject to limited out-of-competition testing. Uryasz said Drug Free Sport has never fielded a call from the nation's two largest MMA promoters, UFC and Strikeforce. And neither White nor Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker appear ready to change how their fighters are tested. Coker adds that Strikeforce is happy with the way commissions go about testing their athletes -- even if none were tested at an event in Houston earlier this year. Strikeforce spokesperson Mike Afromowitz said the "zero tolerance" policy hasn't changed since the organization signed former UFC heavyweight champ Josh Barnett, who previously tested positive in the UFC twice and then again with Affliction. "This guy has tested positive three times and denies every time he's taking steroids," White said. Afromowitz said Barnett will be required to pass a drug test before CASC will license him. According to cagepotato.com, 30 MMA fighters have tested positive among mid-level and top-level promotions since 2002. That list includes seven fighters involved in UFC title fights and five Strikeforce fighters since that organization began to promote MMA bouts in 2006. Shamrock won the fight, and Baroni tested positive for Boldenone and Stanozolol. Meanwhile, Ken Shamrock tested positive for three different anabolic steroids at a low-level promotion in Fresno, Calif., in February 2009. UFC brings all its fighters in once a year for a seminar on performance-enhancing drugs and requires a drug screening when it signs a fighter. UFC also tests its fighters when they head overseas for events -- like next month's UFC 120 in London -- and also performed its own tests the last time it held an event in Texas, something Strikeforce didn't do when it visited the state in August. Lueckenhoff, who also oversees boxing and MMA regulation in Missouri, said Strikeforce didn't balk at the cost associated with the state's requirement for out-of-competition testing before an event there earlier this year. Victor Conte, known best for co-founding Bay Area Lab Co-Operative (BALCO) which supplied steroids to several elite athletes, offered up an idea on how to go about testing: scrutinize the top 10 fighters in each weight class. "Those fighters need to be in a pool and subjected to 24-7, 365 testing," said Conte, who runs the food supplement company SNAC and advises UFC fighter Kyle Kingsbury on nutrition. That would have included Franca, who was part of the bout three years ago where both fighters tested positive.