The UFC Hall of Famer, Ken Shamrock is eyeing for a return in the ring after a respite from MMA. He was busted for anabolic steroids last year when he fought Ross Clifton at War Gods: “Valentine’s Eve Massacre”. He made an impressing win through an armbar submission during the first round but was later found using 3 different kinds of steroids. The California State Athletic Commission found in his system 19-Noretiocholanolone, 19-Norandrosterone, and Stanozolol which were all banned by the sports organization. These 3 positives caused his 1 year suspension and was given a fine of $2,500. He was also banned in participating in any UFC event.

His comeback was made public when it was announced through twitter that the “world’s most dangerous man” will be fighting at IUF (International Unlimited Fighting) on March 6 at Cancun, Mexico. He will be fighting against Seth Petruzelli who posted in twitter that the WBO belt is at stake in the big fight. The match-up will last for 5 rounds and MMA fans can watch it live via satellite through PPV.

Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli is also planning for a UFC comeback after his back-to-back losses to Matt Hamill and Wilson Gouveia. He has only one fight this year at Art of Fighting 4 where he stopped Chris Baten. Petruzelli becomes a sensation when he knocked down brawler Kimbo Slice with a fade away jab. On the other hand, Ken Shamrock supposed fight against Kimbo Slice in Elite XC in 2008 was canceled due to an injury he sustained during warm-ups.

Mixed martial arts fanatics will surely watch this match-up to see if Ken Shamrock is still in shape after long break from the cage and prove that he is still the world’s most dangerous man. Another thing that fans will ask is if he already learned his lesson from taking steroids. These two fighters, Ken Shamrock (27-13-2) and Seth Petruzelli (11-4), will try their luck at the International Unlimited Fighting (IUF: “The Return of Buluc”) and want to show that they can still be a fighter worth watching at UFC.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Athletic Commission, through its director Jeff Mullen, told the media that the tests of UFC 107 fighters were all clean. The 22 fighters who competed in that event did not fail any test for steroids and other recreational drugs like cocaine and marijuana. The UFC’s 107 main event is the clash between two best fighters. The fight was dominated by the lightweight division champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn. He was able to defend his title against the number one contender Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez. Heavyweight champion Frank Mir was also successful in achieving his 3rd title against Cheick Kongo.

According to the Tennessee Athletic Commission (TAC), 4 of the 22 competitors were tested for banned substances. BJ Penn, the current lightweight champion and Diego Sanchez, the challenger, both returned negative results. Two other fighters were also subjected to random tests, welterweights Jon Fitch and Mike Pierce. UFC 107 was held last December 12 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.

While steroids becomes a sensation in boxing, its rival MMA has started to get public attention for its internal problem on steroids. Accusations of steroid use from other fighters looms and positive tests of other players become a major issue in the arena of mixed martial arts. The surge in popularity of this contact sports is a proof that players will do everything just to establish a name and become a champion. It is a sport not spared from the benefits of using performance enhancers.

Just like in boxing, MMA champions were not isolated from steroid accusations especially the heavyweights. Frank Mir is the latest fighter implicated in the use of steroids. The abrupt change of his body physique caught the attention of his critics. The 21 pounds shredded from his weight when he fought Cheick Kongo in UFC 107 raised some speculations. With his more muscular and beefed up body, he was able to dropped Kongo in the first round and finished him with a guillotine choke early in the fight. Mir is quick to address the issue but did not make it as a major concern. “I understand, everyone is quick to downplay anyone who is successful,” he said during an interview. He told to Cagewriter.com that his performance now is due to the help of his strength and conditioning coach Mark Philippi. The coach and a former Strongest Man winner did not administered any banned or illegal substance during his training. “Mark Phillipe is a huge man himself and he’s always been a drug-free athlete. He’s never had to use that to compete with and he’s in the upper echelon. That’s kind of why I chose him because I see guys who are out there that are super strong,” Mir said.

“I had the mentality that well, I’m going to have to be a cardio freak and every extra pound is going to count against me. So if it’s not pure muscle it’s a waste of my time.” He said that 261 pounds is his natural body weight. “If you look at those 10 pounds you have to look at what percentage of that is muscle. I’m not really a 245-pound guy,” he said.

Mir is still determined to bulk up as he prepares for a rematch against the heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. The match is still in limbo due to the health condition of Lesnar. For the meantime, Frank Mir is being matched against the super-sized Shane Carwin on March 2010.

Another steroid accusation came from trainer Rudy Valentino and BJ Penn. The trainer told SI that they felt Georges St. Pierre was on steroids when he fought BJ Penn on their rematch. “I think it’s because of his so-called steroid use, and all of that, that B.J. felt it was an unfair fight. We heard from certain people that used to train with him, telling us what he did in the past. That’s why, we had a heads up on that,” he said. He also speculated that St. Pierre was on a steroid cycle that’s why he never tested positive for any steroids. “When you cycle steroids, you’re not going to test positive. You can cycle it right up to the time of the fight and not test positive on that,” he added.

The most intriguing accusation was from K-1 fighter Zabit Samedov saying that “almost all” Dutch fighters are using steroids. In the sbnation.com report, Samedov gave fearless statements about the allege doping of Golden Glory’s fighters. “Almost all Dutch fighters juice. For example, in Golden Glory it’s almost a part of the club’s policy. They shoot up and fight like it’s nothing. Because of that when they get to the ring they start raging. Think about it yourself, how could Bard Hari change his physical complexion so much in two years?” He also added that Karaev trained in Holland and said that Zimmerman shoots up in front of everyone and only after that starts training. ” Look at what an elephant Zimmerman had become in just two years. But most of these fighters pass all medical tests for steroids.” He also told sbnation that the fighters consume an extremely high level of pharmaceutical drug and undergo an expensive 3 month cycle to get huge.

However, this allegation was immediately denied by Golden Glory’s Bas Boon during an interview with HeadKickLegend.com. Boon asked so many questions against Samedov and told the press that it is the most ridiculous remark he ever heard from a fighter. “Why would he call Samedov and tell this outsider Samedov that Zimmerman shoots steroids in front of his teamates? Maybe Karaev came to Holland to infiltrate the GG camp and then brief Zamedov with the secret medicine GG uses? Did Zamedov get hired by the athletic commission who tested Zamedov positive himself? “I guess it must be frustrating being Samedov’s height and weight - to make accusations in the press like he does, we feel sorry for him,” he added.

Meanwhile, the appeal of Josh Barnett on his steroid case was postponed on February 22, 2010. The case stemmed from the cancellation of his license by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) due to a positive anabolic steroid test in July. Barnett questioned the results and denied using anabolic steroids and any performance enhancing drugs.

The positive test for anabolic steroid was the third in the 12-year career of Josh Barnett who is the youngest champion in the history of UFC. His anabolic steroid use was first detected by the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) during his title fight against Randy Couture in 2002. Three anabolic steroids were found on his system which resulted to the stripping-off his belt. Barnetts’ anabolic steroid problem also caused the cancellation of his fight against Fedor Emelianenko in Affliction last August.

Chris “The Crippler” Leben who was suspended for nine months after a positive steroid test is now prepared for UFC 102 to be held in Portland. His last fight with Michael Bisping in England was a loss and at the same time he was sanctioned after the fight because of steroid stanozolol. It’s popularly known as Winstrol. He also lost one-third of his UFC 89 purse and including nutrition sponsors. In an interview with MMA Fanhouse, Leben is determined to prove himself again. He wants to move on and has learned his lesson.

During the interview with Mike Chiapetta, Leben was asked why he still took steroids even if that could lead to a positive test. He said that it was intended to help him during his training but he did not expect that he would fail a steroid test since he took the steroid stanozolol 8 months before the fight. “A little bit of disbelief. It was something that I wasn’t very happy about obviously. I didn’t realize it would stay in my system for so long,” he said. He used Winstrol to lose some weight during the training. “I guess curiosity killed the cat, so to speak. But again, I’m rehabilitated now,” Leben added.

He told MMA that he already paid the price for the mistake that he has done. “I mean everybody has the desire to win and everybody’s going to do what they can to win. The bottom line is - depending on your organization - if they tell you you can’t take protein, then you can’t take protein if that’s what the rule is. The rules are the rules and you’ve got to follow them. You’ve got to be fair, you’ve got to play within the guidelines and I didn’t do that and obviously I paid the price.”

He will be facing former NCAA champion wrestler Jake Rosholt in UFC 102 although he is not his first choice in his comeback fight in UFC. “He’s a fantastic wrestler, world-class, I mean a four-time all-American, he’s a national champ. Anyone that reaches that level in any sport is a consummate competitor. Obviously you have to respect those skills, which I do. At the same time, there’s definitely some other people out there in the weight class I would have picked first,” he said.

Leben considers this fight as a homecoming since he was raised in the Portland area. Right now, Chris Leben is running his Ultimate Fighting School in Honolulu.

Meanwhile, featherweight Cole Province of the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) is also facing a possible suspension from Nevada State Athletic Commission for a failed steroid test. NSAC executive director Keith Kizer issued a statement that Province was tested positive for Methasterone metabolite, a “designer steroid.” Methasterone was banned by the World Anti Doping Agency in 2005 but was previously sold as a legal over-the-counter dietary supplement.

The designer steroid which is also known as Superdrol is popular among bodybuilders and competitors for its diuretic and metabolic effects. Users can maintain and achieve better muscle mass while cutting weight. Methasterone is said to leave the system within 2 weeks after its use. So Province may also assume, just like Leben, that the steroid will not be detected in his system during the fight.

Province scored a unanimous-decision win over Fredson Paixao earlier this month at WEC 42 in The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Other fighters tested by NSAC were Brian Bowles, Miguel Torres, Takeya Mizugaki, Dominick Cruz, Shane Roller, Leonard Garcia, Ed Ratcliff and Diego Nunes. Right now, Province is under temporary suspension while he is waiting for the decision. Sanctions may include suspension, fine and the possibility of declaring a no-contest.

It was unfortunate for the Affliction hardcore fans to know that the scheduled fight of Josh Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko on August 1 was canceled due to a positive anabolic steroids test of Barnett. He was not given the license to fight in the said event which will be held in Honda Center on Anaheim. The California State Athletic Commission conducts steroid tests to fighters in every competition. The mandatory test which includes out-of-competition test is imposed by California and Nevada athletic associations to ensure that all fighters are clean of any performance enhancing substances.

The promotional company, Affliction, have failed to look for an immediate replacement for Barnett. Although they were able to identify some possible opponents but said it would be impossible to promote it given a very short period of time. Tom Atencio, vice president of the company said that finding replacement for Barnett was a huge endeavor. He was thrilled on the amount of fighters willing to take on the challenge. “But in the end, we just didn’t have enough time to promote a new fight to our standards,” he said.

The fighters considered as a replacement for heavyweight Barnett includes Brett Rogers, Vitor Belfort and former pro wrestler Bobby Lashley. However, Lashley was not interested to fight Emelianenko and said that it is not the fight he would be interested in taking at this point in his career.

This problem forced the mixed martial arts organization to step out of the fight promotion business. In its return, the company was only able to promote two major events. The management decided to reunite with their one-time business partner UFC. This new business relationship was confirmed by Affliction co-founder Eric Foss. “Our brand is synonymous with the ‘Live Fast’ approach to life, and UFC is the perfect venue for us to market our brand,” Foss said.

Affliction will come back as another partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship but as an apparel provider. UFC president Dana White welcomed this development. “We are excited about the return of Affliction to the UFC and look forward to seeing our fighters once again walk into the octagon wearing the Affliction brand,” White said. “Affliction is an innovator of mixing fashion with this sport,” he added.

The positive steroid test of Josh Barnett is not the first in his career. He was also suspended in 2002 for the same offense when he beat Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight championship title. Although he refutes the result (as what all UFC fighters does when tested positive for steroids) but he was still banned by the UFC. Barnett established another career in Japan as a pro wrestler. His comeback in the US to fight in MMA is considered as a big chance to re-establish his career but with the recent steroid result, he may never fight again in any US sanctioned event. MMA companies will not risk loosing money for a fighter known of using anabolic steroids to win a title.

The heated exchange of accusations between Phil Baroni and Joe Riggs makes some people believe that it was just being part of their scheduled fight last Saturday. It may seem that their doing this to promote their match. However, if we take the other side of the story, there could be some basis why we should look at their story. Performance enhancing drugs and steroids is not new to MMA. In fact there were some athletes who just tested positive for steroids and got suspended like Sean Sherk. Fighters in this contact sport may depend on performance enhancers to bulk up and increase their stamina and strength. If you don’t have these things you will just be beaten inside the cage.

The issue of using performance enhancing drugs started when Joe Riggs said that he believes Baroni benefits from some sort of chemical assistance. “He always shows up in shape, looking shredded and puffed up, but I think he’ll be pharmaceutically enhanced, too,” Riggs said. He also implied that with the present look of Baroni it is likely that the guy is using steroids even if Baroni have not been tested positive for any banned substance during his recent fights. “Just because he doesn’t test positive for steroids doesn’t mean he’s not on them right now. … I think if he is — and I’m not saying for sure that he is — but the classic sign of a guy like that is, he comes out hard and then poops out fast.”

Riggs may be quick to raise this issue because of a previous positive test of Baroni for 2 different kinds of horse steroids in 2007. Even if Baroni denied the results, he was still sanctioned a 9 month suspension. One of the popular anabolic steroids used in horses is Winstrol which is also being used by professional athletes to have a trimmed body and great muscle mass.

Baroni on the other hand, did not let this accusation ruined his reputation again. He immediately counters the statement of Riggs saying that he’s crossing the line. “Obviously, I’m not pharmaceutically enhanced. I’ve been fighting all over the world and tested. He can say whatever he wants, he’s already making excuses.”

During a one on one interview, Baroni states that he believes in himself and believes in his training. “I believe in what I’ve done here at Couture’s gym. I’ve changed, I’m a different fighter now. I used to be a prize fighter. I lived a bad lifestyle.” He is a changed man now which he credits his wife in helping change that lifestyle. He continue saying that he is now a mixed martial artist who lives, breathes and eats the fight game.

Baroni calls the statement of Riggs ridiculous and said that his positive test for anabolic steroids in California is a bogus one. He argued that an independent lab said he was clean proving his critics wrong.

Riggs win their match via unanimous decision in the StrikeForce Match in St. Louis last Saturday.

For the first time, UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie has spoken on video about his alleged steroid use, claiming that he has no idea on where the positive result came from. In his UFC career, Gracie is known for defeating much bigger opponents, and often taunted them for bulking up with steroid. So Gracie’s positive result came as a surprise to the sport. It was in June 14, 2007 when the California State Athletic Commission disclosed that Gracie tested positive for Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, after his victory over Kazushi Sakuraba. In his defense, Gracie said that he has “no idea what they are talking about. Look at my first fight in the UFC, I weighed 178 pounds, look at my last fight, 180. I gained two pounds.”

In his statement, refutes the test by saying that his diet and attitude towards his training are incomparable with performance-enhancing drugs. He also added that “it’s ridiculous.”If you saw what I eat, I could live on fruits, I eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” A healthy diet and proper training and exercise do not negate the test results though it seem to be a particular temptation among older athletes especially those engaged in sports that are physically demanding to use performance-enhancing drugs.

According to the California State Athletic Commission, an average person can produce about 2 ng/mL of Nandrolone, while an athlete with hard training and rigorous exercise can have an approximate level of 6 ng/mL. Both of Gracie’s A and B test samples revealed that he had a level of over 50 ng/mL and the commission were informed that the level itself was “so elevated” that it would not register on the laboratory’s calibrator. Because of the result, Gracie was fined $2,500, which is the maximum penalty that CSAC can impose. He was also suspended for the remainder of his license, which ended May of last year.

Bill Douglas of the CSAC commented on Gracie’s result and told the MMA Weekly, “Currently, our rules do not support overturning a decision based off the drug test results, However, Amando Garcia and I are meeting with the Attorney General next month to begin the process of modifying the existing laws to incorporate those rules for the future. Should everything move along like I anticipate, I would expect to see the changes in place by the end of the year. ”

Prior to Gracie’s positive test results, heavyweight fighter Tim Persey, who fought on the EliteXC portion that was seen on Showtime, was tested positive for methamphetamine. He was fined $1,000, which is equivalent to five percent of his $20,000 fight purse and suspended for six months. Also, fellow veteran Ken Shamrock was given a 12-month ban in March this year after three steroids were detected in his system. Gracie however said that his case is different from Shamrock’s. “Look at him from the beginning! I lift a lot of weights, but I don’t look like that.”

Gracie previously mocked other fighters suspect of using steroids by saying, “Yeah, milk does your body good but not that good!”