UFC champ Sylvia admits steroid use

[JDenz]

lol

 

[arnisador]

I am shocked, SHOCKED, to find gambling going on here!

 

[pknox]

I don't get it...

 

[arnisador]

...just as shocked as I am to find steroid use in the UFC. Did anyone think otherwise? That UFC players had ethics too high, and wouldn't do something like this?

 

[pknox]

Yeah. It's gambling alright -- gambling with your life. I guess it wasn't so much I was surprised about the use in general, as you kind of come to expect it in anything involving strength nowadays, unfortunately, but I was surprised at who it was.

Really a big disappointment, and not a good situation for MMA. The sport was just starting to build some real momentum, and seemed on the verge of getting some good mainstream press, and then this happens. A lot of people are now going to assume that everyone is juicing, and that is going to have a terrible effect on the reputation of all of the athletes, and possibly the sport in general. We'll have to see what the effect is in the long run. At least there's already a precedent -- Barnett was caught before, and there wasn't much damage done. However, that was when the sport had a lower profile. Now, everyone is watching to see what will happen.

 

[arnisador]

Surprised by who it was, yes, maybe--though one imagines it's the tip of the iceberg and so that may be coincidental.

 

[pknox]

That's my big fear. I really hope it's not the case, but I'm not naive enough to believe it's not possible (or even probable).

 

[JDenz]

I think that alot of guys are juicing. Alot of guys have already admited to juicinging the past. I am sure there are alot juicing now. I think that most people now they have to cycle on and off to fight in Ufc or have a very good doctor to cover up the juice. I think most guys now that if you are going to fight in the UFC you need to be clean, have been cleaned, or you are going to get caught. I would bet that this is why alot of guys are fighting in Pride only. But one thing that I hate is when people always think that people are juicing. I think that you have to be pretty objective with these guys. I know when I started changeing my diet I went from a 132 pounds to 175 pounds in a few months, I think people have to relieze that the weight these guys fight at is not near what they walk around at. So when you see a guy like horn fight 205 then fight heaveyweight at around 230 a couple weeks later it isn't like he needs to juice up to do this. I think that most people would be surprised who is using and who isn't. I bet it wouldn't be the guys that you think.

 

[pknox]

JDenz - I agree with you. You have to remember, though, that those of us who are knowledgeable about weight training and what it can do to someone's body composition, as well as how people go about cutting weight for events, are a different audience than the general public. We can recognize that when someone cuts weight rapidly, and then goes up again later, it's just a return to the person's natural size -- they didn't necessarily add "20 pounds of muscle" in 2 weeks. The average guy may not get that concept, though.

While it may not be correct to assume that everybody's on the juice, I'm just saying that Joe Bloggs out there is going to believe that now, which might ultimately hurt the sport. Is he jumping to clonclusions? Yes. But can we really help it now, based on what has taken place? Maybe not, unfortunately.

As I said on sherdog -- for a lot of people, this is the MMA equivalent of Sosa's corked bat.

 

[Elfan]

Syliva interview: http://www.sherdog.com/viewnews.cfm?newsid=EpyypAVVVFDhiQzHSR

 

[JDenz]

Good interview I love the Militich guys.

 

[pknox]

Nice piece. Personally, I kind of wish that in Tim's apology he said he'll never use them again, but that might be kind of unrealistic to expect. I think he does realize that is he does get caught again, he will definitely be screwed.

 

[JDenz]

Ya he didn't seem very knowledgeable about the whole steroid culture. i would think that if you were going to put something in your body you would want to know everything you could about it.

 

[JDenz]

LAS VEGAS, October 15, 2003: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia announced he has relinquished his title after the Nevada State Athletic Commission today suspended his license for four months from September 26 and fined him $7,500 for violating Nevada’s unarmed combat laws.

In an advance letter to the Commissioners and in testimony before the Commission today, Sylvia admitted he had an anabolic agent in his body when he defeated Gan McGee to retain his title at UFC 44: Undisputed, Friday, September 26, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. In addition to serving the suspension and paying the fine, Sylvia said he will work in the community and will visit high schools to educate amateur athletes about the health dangers of anabolic substances. The substance, a diuretic for weight training, was detected in post-fight testing by the Commission.

“I made a major mistake and now I am going to pay for it. It was my decision to give up the belt because I do not want a cloud hanging over the UFC heavyweight title,” Sylvia said.

UFC President Dana White said that after Sylvia serves the suspension and his license is re-instated, he will get the opportunity to fight again for the heavyweight championship.

“Tim is a gentleman and his honesty today made an impression on the Commission. He is a fierce competitor and has always conducted himself as a true champion. I hope he keeps training and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become champion again some day. Once his suspension is over, Zuffa welcomes the chance to discuss his return to the UFC,” White said.

White said that the UFC heavyweight title is vacant but it will be a priority to determine a new champion.

 

[pknox]

Interesting. They did make him vacate, but the fine and suspension weren't as bad as I thought it would be. I see Tim winning the title back when he returns. It will be interesting to see if this changes anything, or if guys will think it's worth the risk of getting caught with the penalty being what it was.

 

[Elfan]

I got the impression he gave up the title volentarily.

 

[pknox]

Good point - I didn't see that at first. However, it may also have been along the line of the "resign or we'll fire you" type of thing that is often done in the business world after a scandal. My guess is that Tim knew he'd be asked to vacate (he basically said that he was expecting it in the interview on sherdog), and by doing it voluntarily, he would be able to work out a deal where he could fight for the title soon after returning.

I like the community service aspect. In addition to just being a classy thing to do, I think it also helps the image of the sport. Now, he best not get caught again, though, or every one of those kids he talked to will consider him a hypocrite.

Either way, I think Tim handled it very well - probably the best he could, and I wish him all the luck in the world. Perhaps some good will come from this after all. I don't care for what he did, but I do respect him for how he handled it.

 

[JDenz]

well 30000 to win - 7500 for using drugs sems to me pretty worth it. 22500 not bad for a nights work.

 

[pknox]

That's exactly what I'm saying - with the generally light nature of the fine, I don't know if others will really think of it as a deterrent.

 

[JDenz]

Well I think being suspended and losing the title isn't so good