While it is true that the number of UFC fighters caught using anabolic steroids were not as many as the number in the major league, the nature of the sport still compels most fighters to use performance enhancing drugs. Top officials of the UFC deny that the use of steroids in their league is already rampant. However, fans and sports critics are not convinced that they are in control of their players especially in the use of performance enhancers.

Just recently, Nate Diaz confirmed through an interview that almost all UFC fighters are on steroids. During the interview, he was asked about the Silva-Sonnen fight and the suspension of Sonnen because of anabolic steroid use. Diaz did not give comments on the fight but a lot of people were surprised about his allegation that everybody in the UFC is taking steroids. “It’s not a surprise—not that [Sonnen] was on steroids, but all these guys are on steroids. So, it can’t be surprising when someone pops up on steroids, ya know? It usually should be a surprise when people aren’t on steroids,” Diaz said.

This could be merely an opinion of the fighter but his statements may be true since he is playing for the promotion company. Some sports writers were not expecting about this revelations of Diaz. UFC may just give him his walking papers because of this allegation. On the other hand, the UFC should also do its part in curtailing steroids use in mixed martial arts. It is not only harmful to the fighters but it could also send a wrong message to the fans. An ordinary fan may think that the UFC allows fighters to build muscles and gain more strength just to give the audience a more exciting and bloody game.

Another UFC fighter also explained why the use of steroids in UFC is very difficult to stop. Josh Burkman believes that problem like steroid is an indicator that the MMA is becoming more and more mainstream. “I think a lot of guys in professional sports take performance-enhancing drugs, whether they’re doing it legally or doing it illegally. Guys get bigger opportunities, and maybe they feel like they need more things,” he said.

Professional athletes want to gain competitive advantage by training hard and taking supplements to enhance performance. “It’s too bad that athletes are getting put under this microscope now because whether it’s steroids or whatever it is, athletes have been trying to get an edge one way or another for years and years and years. You can’t take away how hard these athletes work and how hard they train, no matter what they’re doing,” Burkman said.

Burkman was also caught using steroids but he said he already learned his lesson. “The reason why I wasn’t on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” was that I didn’t pass my (steroid) test,” Burkman told Sherdog Radio. The UFC fighter said that he took winstrol because he was out of shape for “The Ultimate Fighter.” He wanted to reduce weight and a friend told him to take Winstrol.

He emphasized that people taking anabolic steroids are not only using it to enhance performance in the sport. There are also some cases where they need to take it to recover from injuries and stay healthy. “They’re taking things for injuries and they’re just trying to stay healthy and stay strong. It’s a rough sport, and guys are going to do what they have to do,” he said. Since there is more money at stake for fighters, the problem with steroids will continue. “There’s more money on the line now. There’s more riches. It’s a deep-rooted problem in athletics and it has been for 100 years, and I don’t see it going anywhere and I don’t see a way of fixing it either,” Burkman added.

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