I argued that Nicco Montano would defend her title twice after she won the inaugural women’s flyweight title in 2017. Montano displayed tremendous heart in her win over Roxanne Modaferri that night in December, and I loved the way she flowed around the octagon.
However, the brilliance displayed that night may have been due to performing enhancing drugs. Montano–along with four other UFC athletes–received a six-month suspension when she tested positive for the banned substance ostarine. While the positive sample was collected almost a year after her title fight, I feel that it tarnishes her title winning performance. Also, it makes me wonder if she was on a banned substance during her time on the Ultimate Fighter.
Montano’s suspension was one of seven handed down by the United States Anti-Doping Agency–also known as the USADA–in April. The USADA also imposed a lifetime ban on UFC heavyweight Ruslan Magomedov. These
eight violations in April demonstrate a problem that affects not only the UFC, but the entire sporting world.
While performing enhancing drugs are a problem that impacts the sporting community as a whole, they have a particularly heinous affect on combat sports. Athletes who are not undermining the rules are placed in compromising situations that could lead to death or serious injury.
The athletes using these performing enhancing drugs are behaving maliciously. Whether or not they are knowingly taking these drugs is insignificant in my eyes due to the harm these drugs can cause.
Current UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo experienced this first hand during his fight with T.J. Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night in December. While Cejudo won the fight, his opponent Dillashaw may have been using the performing enhancing drug EPO. EPO, also known as erythropoietin, causes the body to produce more red blood cells and can improve endurance, according to the USADA. Cejudo ended up knocking Dillashaw out in the first round, but if that did not occur, something more sinister could have taken place.
“In my eyes, T.J., there’s bad intentions, literally. I’ve always been drug-free.”
Henry Cejudo to MMA Junkie
I agree with Cejudo and feel that fighters who are taking performing enhancing drugs have malevolent intentions. These athletes need to face discipline that will discourage others from committing the same infractions. Dillashaw’s two-year ban is a start, but I feel that he should have been banned for life due to the blatant disregard for the damage he could have inflicted.
Dillashaw’s suspension was a step in the right direction; however, the latest suspension of Montano and three other athletes was limited to six months because there was no evidence of intentional use, according to the USADA. I have the utmost respect for the USADA but I feel that these suspensions are an insufficient form of punishment. “Intentional use,” is a slippery slope in my opinion because certain athletes with cruel intentions will use this excuse in their defense. While there certainly are cases of athletes being tainted unintentionally, I feel that a vast majority of athletes who test positive took these performing enhancing drugs willingly.
Performing enhancing drugs will continue to evolve and athletes will always attempt to gain an advantage over their opponents. But as fans, we can choose who to support; I will not be supporting athletes who test positive for performing enhancing drugs.
Do you feel that athletes like T.J. Dillashaw who knowingly take performing enhancing drugs should be banned for life?
UFC Ladies 