Former UFC middleweight competitor and current Fox Analyst Brian Stann revealed that the performance-enhancing drugs rampant in MMA played a significant part in his decision to retire from the sport.
Stann, who went 6-5 during his four-year run with the promotion, believes that the lack of stringent testing put him in a situation where he wasn’t getting a “fair shake” against other opponents.
“[Drug testing issues were] a major part of me walking away from the sport,” Stann told Fox Sports. “Knowing that I wasn’t getting a fair shake played a big part, for sure.
When that happens in MMA, not only is he stealing from his opponent, you can be hurting them. You could be shortening their career.”
The former Marine divulged further into his reasoning and explained that the PED issue falls on both the UFC, who would be at a conflict of interest if they implemented stricter testing policies, and athletic commissions, who are financially incapable of imposing these potential policies.
There have been certain advancements, as both UFC 172 headliners, Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira, were given out-of-competition drug tests administered by the Maryland Athletic Commission and paid for by the UFC. It is unclear whether this will continue to take place in the future, but UFC President Dana White has hinted at new drug-testing policies in the near future.
Brian Stann is not the only fighter who publicly spoke outl on PEDs, as former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre has been leading the charge over the past few months to promote stricter drug-testing policies.
Stann also mentioned that he has a meeting with Travis Tygart, the CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, and Robert Bennett, the new executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, next week, where he hopes to continue his battle against PEDs.
Update: It appears that, as of 4:30pm EST, FOXSports.com has removed the original article where the quotes were taken from.
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