Professional sports will never get out from the huge shadow that is performance enhancing drugs. Earlier this year, the sports world had to deal with the Lance Armstrong scandal, and now the Alex Rodriguez debacle has taken center stage, as Major League Baseball deals with yet another steroid problem. However, one point being lost in the coverage of this story is that athletes who compete in mixed martial arts have also been linked to Biogenesis, the facility that was providing baseball players with PEDs. What’s even more scary is that the public has yet to find out their names.
A few days ago, Major League Baseball dropped the hammer on multiple players, levying suspensions because of their involvement with a massive performance enhancing drug operation, in a scandal that has overshadowed nearly every other sport. Rodriguez is at the forefront of the coverage, having been hit with a 211-game suspension. Ryan Braun was another prominent name. However, Rodriguez, Braun, and the rest of 14 suspended players were not the only individuals supplied by that Florida medical operation.
Porter Fischer, the individual who threw the penalty flag against his former employer, told ESPN that MMA athletes were also linked to the case, receiving items from Biogenesis. However, the names of those individuals have not been reported to the public at this time, which is unfortunate. In a period where mixed martial arts continues to develop, this is an opportunity for the leaders of the sport – namely the Ultimate Fighting Championship – to present themselves in a positive light, and stand firm against PEDs.
MMA has long had problems with fighters being implicated as past users. UFC President Dana White called this situation a “headache the UFC doesn’t need,” but he hasn’t quite mentioned how he would punish any athlete implicated that may be on the UFC roster.
The best answer would be swiftly and harshly. While these individuals may not have failed any tests, the UFC should still come down on them hard for dishonoring the brand. Even though sports fans are slowly becoming desensitized to drugs in sports, that doesn’t mean this situation should be overlooked. Outright cutting a fighter may be a step too far, seeing as no one has failed a test, but issuing a warning, that anyone who fails from that point on will face a release, will send a massive message throughout the roster and sport as whole. But first, the names of any UFC fighters associated with Biogenesis should be realized and publicized.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a chance to get out in front of a serious problem and show that it is willing to handle the situation better than other mainstream sports. Bud Selig has become a laughingstock of sorts because of how he has mismanaged his sport with regard to PEDs; Dana White can show a better face by doing the exact opposite.
