ClemenzasCannoli - Correct me if I'm mistaken but didn't Josh get popped for roids a while back?
Winstrol if I remember correctly
Correct. Burkman failed a pre TUF drug test.
"Yeah, I was full of everything. I was cheating. I took winstrol because I was fighting at a higher weight class. I was partying and I wasn't in shape so I tried to cheat. I was smoking weed and I was out of control. It was very embarrassing though. I was coaching high school football and I told them I was leaving to tape the show. When I wound up not leaving I had to be real honest with them and the reasons I got in trouble. It wound up being a really good thing. I got to tell them my story and I had a few of them come back and tell me later that they learned a lot from what I went through." -Josh Burkman
Jesus Cannons - Call me crazy, but they just need to open the gate and just let it go.
The fact people are so against PED's is a little strange IMO. People are always going to look for that "edge", even more so when it's their JOB and how they make a living. Any long term health risks should be accounted for by the fighter. Just like smoking cigarettes.
And at the end of the day all it really does is allow you to heal faster between workouts, and allow you to train harder. Doesn't teach you technique. If you're a shitty fighter, and you use PED's, you'll still be a shitty fighter.
And don't give me that "but someone could get killed" nonsense. It hasn't happened yet, and it's not going to happen. PED's have been in this sport since the beginning.
Bootsy Collins - The issue with legalising it for me is that the sport becomes about who can afford access to the best gear. People already have issue with the peripheral sport of cutting weight never mind anything else
This.
I have yet to see someone refute this argument.
The more skillful fighter will still win. Steroids don't teach technique.
"The harshest critics are often the worst offenders. "
Truer words were never spoken on the subject. When it comes to PED's and athletes, it seems that the people pointing fingers end up getting caught up down the road most often. Tim Kennedy and GSP I'm looking at you guys. In reality I'm looking at almost the entire sport because let's be real almost all these guys have used a PED at some point in their careers. Might not be on it now, but I want to know of a fighter that didn't use. Bet it's much harder to point out those who didn't than those who did/do. I doubt all of them now. I love Fedor, but given the fact that testing wasn't as stringent back then, there is always the possibility that it went undetected. Some guys like Tim Kennedy and Lombard give off the red flag with their physiques, but thankfully we give innocence until proven guilty. Silva was a major blow to the sport, but the fact his use went undetected all these years kind of makes my point. If he had retired after the Weidman fights, this topic would have never came up. Gone undetected. Out of sight out of mind. Sport is going through turbulence right now. Interested to see how it all pans out. Will they open up to TRT again? Or will they try to crackdown harder even though the failed tests are coming back in bunches? These are prominent guys not rookies. Interested to see how Zuffa handles this.
brahmabull81 - When a guy says "I dont care if my opponents are using" take that as a red herring. Thats a psychological defense mechanism for guys that have conscience issues with the shady behavior they may or may not be taking part in. It actually is some kind of official psychological thing that a shrink would be able to better identify and explain though.
Marquardt said it too in kind of a cavalier way a couple years back and then shortly after tested positive for elevated test. Theres actually a few examples of this happening.
Still, good for Burkman for not piling on. This is likely only the beginning.
Polar_beatdown - In baseball, football etc. they are not trying to beat the shit out of you. Ped's in mma are way more dangerous, than in any other sport.
Jesus Cannons - Call me crazy, but they just need to open the gate and just let it go.
The fact people are so against PED's is a little strange IMO. People are always going to look for that "edge", even more so when it's their JOB and how they make a living. Any long term health risks should be accounted for by the fighter. Just like smoking cigarettes.
And at the end of the day all it really does is allow you to heal faster between workouts, and allow you to train harder. Doesn't teach you technique. If you're a shitty fighter, and you use PED's, you'll still be a shitty fighter.
And don't give me that "but someone could get killed" nonsense. It hasn't happened yet, and it's not going to happen. PED's have been in this sport since the beginning.
This... And vu
I agree with most of what JC said.
Fuck monitoring though. It'll just be a mess as it is now.
Let adults be responsible for their own body and life and what it's woth to them.
If they want to trade a long lifespan for a shorter perhaps more glorious life then let them.
And someone will most definitely die in the octagon etc regardless of steroids or not just as people in other sports(soccer etc) have died.
When you push your body to extremes you might die.
Brigham - Everyone is on the shit. If you don't think so you have your fuckin head in the sand or up your ass.
Other than BJ Penn and Roy Nelson
Dictionaries are readily available in book stores and on the internet. In fact, most search engines provide definitions before you finish typing the word.
Please see "everyone."
Also, please read a bit better. Take note of Burkman's comment "The harshest critics are often the worst offenders."
Mentioning BJ after he made a statement like that, suggest you posted without reading the OP, have poor reading comprehension, or so blinded by BJ's nutsack draped across your nose, eyes, and philtrum that you typed blindly.
brahmabull81 - When a guy says "I dont care if my opponents are using" take that as a red herring. Thats a psychological defense mechanism for guys that have conscience issues with the shady behavior they may or may not be taking part in. It actually is some kind of official psychological thing that a shrink would be able to better identify and explain though.
Marquardt said it too in kind of a cavalier way a couple years back and then shortly after tested positive for elevated test. Theres actually a few examples of this happening.
Still, good for Burkman for not piling on. This is likely only the beginning.
Agreed
Also this line seems really odd for a guy who doesn't take anything:
"I don't know... Maybe they should legalize it and make you monitor your own levels... Keep everybody on an even playing field. I don't know, just wish we could figure out how to compete on an even playing field. That should be the goal!"
Sounds like Josh is somehow open to PED use but strangely one of the few fighters who isn't acting on it.. Lol.
Bootsy Collins - The issue with legalising it for me is that the sport becomes about who can afford access to the best gear. People already have issue with the peripheral sport of cutting weight never mind anything else
This.
I have yet to see someone refute this argument.
The more skillful fighter will still win. Steroids don't teach technique.
Yes but I think you are missing the point. Skillful fighter X may not have the funds to afford the top of the line steroids that middling fighter Y does...or vice versa.
Bootsy Collins - The issue with legalising it for me is that the sport becomes about who can afford access to the best gear. People already have issue with the peripheral sport of cutting weight never mind anything else
This.
I have yet to see someone refute this argument.
The more skillful fighter will still win. Steroids don't teach technique.
Yes but I think you are missing the point. Skillful fighter X may not have the funds to afford the top of the line steroids that middling fighter Y does...or vice versa.
This gap already exists in the form of a fighter making Anderson Silva money can afford the best striking and wrestling coaches,sparing partners, nutritional experts, sports psychologists, ect.
