Former UFC contender Kenny Florian, along with Daniel Cormier, was at Fox Sports and they discussed two of the greatest MMA fighters of all time both failing their random drug tests just weeks apart. Jon Jones of course failed his test because of cocaine, while Silva tested positive for anabolic steroids. Here’s what Florian had to say about the two high profile cases:
It’s a black eye for the sport. It’s just embarrassing. We have some of our biggest stars in UFC history testing positive for these drugs. It doesn’t look good, and a lot of the guys are forgetting the “martial arts” in Mixed Martial Arts — which means honor and courage. These guys are forgetting about that and playing with these drugs, and it looks very bad for the sport.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission, I really think they screwed this one up. If they are going to do pre-fight testing, do the test and get the results before the fight. If you’re fighter and you find out your opponent is not only doing a recreational drug, but doing a performance enhancing drug, that’s a completely different deal. Now that fighter is at risk, and I don’t like that at all.
As for Silva specifically, both Florian and Cormier think that it now puts some doubt on his accomplishments:
“You don’t have to take those drugs to comeback from an injury like that. Just because he’s 40 years old, doesn’t mean he has to take that”, Florian said. “It’s very unfortunate for him and his legacy. I have some question marks on everything that he did now (in his career). It’s unfortunate.”
“He was able to do something almost super-human to come back from that injury so fast, fight as he did, it does raise questions”, Cormier added. “Like it or not, it cast a little of a shadow for all the things he has accomplished because if there are steroids and there are things like this, you don’t know how long it has been going on.”
Watch the clip below:
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