The Savage Truth: PEDs Strike Again

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(OPINION) -- A lot can happen in two years. In the world of high-end mixed martial arts, it can be a lifetime.

Mike Richman is about to find out what 24 months on the shelf can do to a fighter after being caught using a performance-enhancing drug in his bout last month in California. It is a long time for a fighter to sit out. As more and more fighters suffer the new, harsher consequences, I’m curious to see if it will become a deterrent for their colleagues. Sadly, I suspect it won’t be.

Richman’s promoter, Bellator MMA, also has some questions to answer as the sport continues its push to weaken the hold PEDs have taken in MMA.

UFC boss Dana White was fond of saying that the sport was as clean as it could be since fighters were “tested by the government,” but that theory came crashing down with high-profile positives from the likes of Anderson Silva and Hector Lombard. Sprinkle in a positive cocaine test from Jon Jones and the company could no longer bank on the bureaucrats to keep things on the level.

Let’s be honest: it wasn’t an altruistic decision to enact the UFC Health and Wellness and Anti-Cheating Policy, or whatever the hell it’s called. The company had an image problem, and they did what they felt had to be done to protect their brand and its value.

I have to wonder what steps Bellator or World Series of Fighting or any other promoter is going to take to make sure they are doing everything they can to combat PEDs in a sport that needs policing more than just about any other.

I know it isn’t an easy decision to make for companies that aren’t raking in the kind of cash a successful UFC pay-per-view event draws, but they have the same credibility issues, as well as the self-interest in sustaining their brands’ integrity, that the UFC has struggled with. That isn’t going to change any time soon.

It is easy to say, “We support the athletic commissions,” but it isn’t easy to pry open the wallet and put your money where your mouth is when it comes to ensuring your employees (or independent contractors, for the time being) are given as safe a platform possible to ply their trade.

The UFC has taken quite a bit of grief over the years for questionable decisions regarding how they have handled the PED issue -- some warranted, some not so much -- but they have made it clear with their move to partner with the United Sates Anti-Doping Agency for independent testing of their entire roster that they are on the side of fighters who want to compete on a level playing field.

Can other promoters say the same thing today? Will they be able to in the near future?

Bellator and WSOF, as well as the myriad mid-level regional promoters who feed talent to them and the UFC, will be key contributors in the fight to make MMA a clean sport. While it is doubtful any of these entities will follow suit and enact their own year-round testing programs -- it just isn’t feasible for any of them, save Bellator -- they can still play a part by making it clear they won’t tolerate PED use. They can refuse to sign serial abusers of PEDs to fight contracts or to represent their brands.

I know it is probably wishful thinking at this point, but if people continue to pressure promoters -- the way the UFC was pressured -- then perhaps we will see some moves in the right direction from at least some of them.

As for Richman, I say congratulations on handling your suspension like an adult. While it doesn’t lessen the blow, the admission of guilt and acceptance of responsibility makes it easier for me to welcome him back into the fold after he has served his suspension and paid his fine. It isn’t always easy to own up to your mistakes, especially very public and very embarrassing ones such as this, so I give him credit for it.

However, I am pretty sure it won’t be a consolation to the fighters who have been on the receiving end of a Richman knockout, who now have to wonder if there was any extra punishment dealt their way that might not have been had their opponent fought clean. Those are some guys I think shouldn’t have been left out of his Facebook mea culpa.

Richman’s statement from his Facebook page:

In regards to my positive test results for an Anabolic Steroid. I want to say that I lost the integrity in myself and the integrity of this sport. I will not sit here and deny that I took it or act like I didn't know what I was taking or blame it on someone else. I am a cheat, plan and simple and there is no excuse or reason that is valid enough to dispute the reasons why I cheated the sport and myself by using it. I want to apologize to Bellator MMA for my actions. I want to apologize again to my hard working Teammates who are not cutting corners and busting their asses off everyday in the gym to better themselves. I want to apologize to My head MMA coach Greg Nelson for making him and his gym the Academy look bad. He had no knowledge of me using at all. I want to make the same apology to my S&C coach Matt Miller of Horsepower strength and conditioning, he also had no knowledge of my use of this Anabolic Steroid. I apologize to all my sponsors that support me, my family that loves me, and my friends and fans that cheer for me. I deserve every bit of backlash and hate I'm going to receive from the media and the fans of this great sport. I take full responsibility in my actions and the decisions I made. I also deserve the punishment the CA state athletic commission brought down upon me.

That’s one down and many, many more to go, but with the enhanced testing being done by the UFC starting July 1 and the new, harsher penalties being handed down in states like California and Nevada, it will be interesting to see just how much of a deterrent they will be in a sport that has PEDs woven into the fabric of its very existence.

Greg Savage is the executive editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached by email or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.