Just read this article at Yahoo sport news: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-mmaroids121707&prov=yhoo&type=Igns Some quotes: in California, over the past eight months, there have been 15 steroid positives in 54 MMA events, including major names like Royce Graice, Johnnie Morton, Phil Baroni and Sean Sherk, even though all but Morton publicly claimed they were innocent. Keep in mind that on most of the smaller events, only around six competitors per show were tested. On big events like UFC, K-1 and Strikeforce, every competitor was tested. During the same time frame, there were two steroid positives in 85 pro boxing events in California and no positives in 13 kickboxing events. In recent years, three UFC champions Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett and Sherk tested positive in championship matches that they won. In Barnett's case, he tested positive the night he won the heavyweight championship from Randy Couture. Barnett and Sherk were stripped of their title while Sylvia voluntarily relinquished his before it would have been taken away.
In the old days guys like Kerr and Coleman were juicing hard and not even being discreet about it. Yeah there's a lot more jiuce-use in mma (probably) because strength is so relatively important; its important in boxing as well, but not as much as say, speed.
Hit the nail on the head right there. Being stronger in a raw strength sense is quite useful in MMA - in boxing not quite so much.
Nonsense, there are many banned substances who's effects go far beyond the stereotypical old "GETTT JACKED" bodybuilding stuff. Most guys use it for recovery purposes only to train more often and harder, even to lose weight in the case of lighter fighters. It is simply an issue that boxing has been tested for years now, and regular testing of all fighters has only been a part of MMA for about the past year. Nevada was the only state testing up to last year (California and New Jersey tested only for recreational drugs), and they were only testing title fights and 1 random fight on the card. Since middle of last year I believe all fighters are tested on every card, either by the state comissions or by a supposedly independent body when the fights are held in places like England without a MMA commission. The fighters will adapt and learn how to cycle to beat the tests quickly, just like boxing, and already the number of positive tests is plumetting.
Not only that the weight classes are so far apart as opposed to boxing where weight classes are every few lbs. I want to fight at 135, but those guys are huge and juiced up. They don't look 135 at all.
In addition to the spread out weight classes, you have the major background influence in modern MMA typcailly being amateur wrestling. Having grown up in those sports, most of these guys already know what it's like to cut 30 some pounds for matches and are taught to be the biggest fighter in the lowest weight possible.
I read an interview with Melvin Guillard and he fights at 155 he says he cuts about 28lbs!! GSP walks around at 185-190 while fighting at 170. Forrest Griffin walks around 240 at 205! Its insane, the weight cutting in MMA is even bigger than boxing. I mean, I walk around at 155-160 but I also would have to fight at 135 as I would be at a severe size disadvantage even at 145. Its crazy.
I'm 5'-11" and about 210 pounds, and when I saw John Fitch in person I felt like he was bigger than me. Those guys, especially at 170, are monsters.
Yeah, Fitch is probably the biggest WW out there. That being said, he barely beat Sanchez in a very close fight and Sanchez only weighs about 175 and might be moving down to 155. So size doesn't always completley replace skill.
