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| Rousey in the new SI swimsuit edition |
The UFC fan seems to be a magnet for every feasible type of shit sandwhich that could be tossed at it! Anderson Silva tested positive on a second post fight test, coupled with three more fighters not making weight this past weekend with UFC on Fox Sports One, is leaving the “leader” in mixed martial arts with black eye after black eye. Now current champ Ronda Rousey and former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub are both chiming in with honestly sharp tongues.
“This is a combat sport, and we’re not trying to hit a ball harder,” Rousey said. “These drugs can make you hit a person harder. The only reason we’re able to do this sport is that the level of human potential is just [low] enough that we can barely allow it. We’re right at the threshold.”It’s not like we’re getting to the point where it’s, ‘Oh, we’re going to start to have higher world records for weight lifting.’ No. We’re going to be able to hurt each other more. That’s what I’m worried about. I’m worried that this is going to keep escalating and escalating and escalating until somebody dies.”
In reference to those who criticize Rousey for not moving up a weight class to fight Cris Cyborg (who has tested positive for PED’s:
“I’ve been ready to fight her at any point. She’s the one who left the UFC. She’s the one who hasn’t come to fight me. Because she’s a cheater and a fraud, the last thing I’m going to do is make exceptions for her. I’m not going to move up and make things easier for her, because she’s been making things easier for herself her whole life. She needs to learn a lesson that you can’t do that [expletive] any more. And I’m here to teach everybody else that that is not acceptable. Cheating and bringing a weapon and trying to hurt someone with that weapon is not a way to get a consideration made for you.”
BJJEE.com offered this transcription from an interview with ex-UFC fighter Brendan Schaub:
“Listen, I would love to hear an argument for why I shouldn’t do steroids,” Schaub said. “Give me one. Let’s say I take steroids and test positive. Say I’m a young kid [getting to the UFC] and I ask my dad, ‘Dad, why shouldn’t I take steroids?’ Can I say, ‘Well, you’ll never be world champ.’ That’s not true. Anderson Silva’s world champ. ‘Well, you’ll never fight for a title.’ That’s not true.
“Chael Sonnen tested positive, fought for a title. ‘Well, you’ll never be ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ coach.’ Nope, Chael Sonnen, Anderson Silva. ‘Well, you’ll never be a main event.’ No, not true. Alistair Overeem’s a main event. Bigfoot Silva’s a main event. ‘Well, listen, you might get fired.’ No, not really. Guys pop all the time. If it’s cheating, everyone else is doing it and they’re getting rewarded for it.”
“You know what’s infuriating to me? It’s not that I’m not champ,” said Schaub. “It’s not that I’ve lost some fights or won some big fights. It’s more that there’s just no reason everyone shouldn’t take steroids. There’s just not. In the UFC there’s no reason. Someone give me a legit reason why you would tell a young fighter not to take them. I would love to hear a good argument. ‘Well, you’ll get fined $3000 and you’ll have to sit out six months, maybe nine.’ I fight every six months anyway.”
“I fought a guy named Lavar Johnson. At the weigh-in when he weighed in I went to [UFC president] Dana White like, ‘That guy’s on roids.” They laughed. Everyone’s like, ‘Come on.’ Are you kidding me? The guy is jacked. He could go win Mr. Olympia. My team’s laughing. I’m not laughing. I’ve got to fight him.”
“So then I fight this guy. I don’t stand with him. I take him down over and over. I just kept taking him down because I knew he was jacked on steroids. I’m not going to play that game. I took a lot of heat for that. Everyone from the company, outside the company, fans, everyone. ‘Why didn’t you stand and bang with him?’ Well, I’m all natural and this guy’s jacked out of his mind on steroids. It doesn’t make sense for me. Make it a level playing field and I’m the Leonard Garcia of the heavyweight division.”
“Anderson Silva landed some shots on Nick Diaz. Those shots, I promise you, are going to catch up with Nick down the road. Now, we don’t know how severe those shots were but I guarantee it’s more severe when a guy’s on steroids.”
Some solid truth in those words whether you like them or not. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but it is high time we stop pretending and either completely accept that the majority of athletes in ALL sports are juicing to some degree or another, or we completely ban the substances and the culture that surrounds them unequivocally.