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!”

Mixed martial arts is not exempted in steroid controversies. It was on March 22, 2002 that this sport was tainted with the controversy when Josh Barnett tested positive for Boldenone (Equipoise). This was after his win at the UFC heavyweight championship from Randy Couture at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. After his title, Barnette and the UFC got entangled in a contract disagreement. Barnett also denied the result of the test and tried to conflate the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s test results with the contract dispute. But since the match happened long before Nevada had the authority to overturn decisions based on a drug positive test, it is listed as Couture’s very first loss in the octagon.

Because of this controversy, Barnett never fought in the UFC again and left for Japan for pro wrestling and for PRIDE organization. Couture, who also trained with Barnett in the past, also declined to accept the championship back.

As the third live event in Las Vegas over a seven-month period, that draws 8,327 fans, means that the show established UFC could return to a market on a regular basis and draw as much crowd as possible. It was also a glimpse into the future of crowds as the UFC crowd is considered as the smartest ever to see an event.

Two mixed martial arts fighters, Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca have also been suspended and fined for use of steroids. Sherk defended his Ultimate Championship title against Franca on July 7, 2007 in Sacramento. The five-round bout between 155-punders ended with Shrek as the winner. The California State Athletic Commission conducted the drug tests and found Sherk with traces of Nandrolone Metabolite and Franca on the other hand with Drostanolone, an anabolic agent.

UFC has also suspended October main-event fighter Chris Leben for nine months because the fighter tested positive for steroid stanozolol following his unanimous-decision loss to Michael Bisping last October 18, 2008 in Birmingham, England. UFC President Dana expressed his disappointment over Leben since he had “made great strides getting his life back on track,” referring to Leben’s past battle with alcohol use. “But as always, the UFC puts the safety of its athletes first and foremost, and we won’t tolerate anyone using performance-enhancing drugs in our organization,” he added.

But unlike so many other athletes who have been tested positive for steroid or drug, Leben confronted his suspension with an admission. “There is a huge setback for me, but it is something I will have to deal with,” he said. “During my time off from fighting, I want to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance-enhancing agents and let them know it just doesn’t get you ahead in life.”

In this, another UFC star has been added to the list of prominent athletes associated with anabolic steroids. Former UFC star Ken Shamrock has tested positive for three different banned substances. He failed a drug test before his February 13 victory over Ross Clifton in Fresno, California. Shamrock is suspended from all mixed martial arts competition nationwide until Feb. 1, 2010.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans would never miss the shredded abdomen and massive trapezius of Sean Sherk. He looks every bit of a wrestler and on Oct. 14, 2006, Sherk rose to fame as he won the UFC lightweight title in Las Vegas. The raw power he possessed has helped him become on of the world’s elite martial artists.

Nearly after two years after testing positive for steroids, Sherk is back not to wrestle but to try out boxing. He also made a conscious decision to avoid wrestling and rely upon his standup. Even as a boy, he was trained and worked on boxing but he built his professional reputation as a powerful wrestler. Sherk is also showing other sides of his game, though it is also his goal to become the most complete fighter that he can. He’s also been working on a slew of new submission moves though it is still uncertain if he’ll be part in the black belt ceremony any time soon.

“The great thing about this sport is that, even after all these years as a pro fighter and 40 fights, I’m still learning and still adding a lot to my game,” Sherk said. “I relied on my wrestling for a long time in my career, but the way this sport has evolved, you really can’t be one-dimensional and compete at the highest level.”

Sherk boasts of his 37-3-1 record and his only losses have come to three of the best fighters in the UFC: Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre and Penn. These names have help the welterweight tilte at one point or another level. His almost flawless record clearly makes Sherk one of the wrestling’s top talents. And he will still prove to anyone that his record is the result of talent, hard work and genetics more so than from chemistry. After defending his title on July 4, 2007 over Hermes Franca, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) suspended Sherk for testing positive for Nandrolone Metabolite, an anabolic steroid.

Franca also tested positive for steroids after the fight. He immediately accepted the ruling and apologized for taking Drostanolone, to speed up his injured knee’s healing process.

Within 24 hours of his suspension, Sherk filed an appeal with the CSAC, denying his use of any illegal substances and had never even heard of the Nandrolone Metabolite drug. Both A and B samples of Sherk tested for levels of 12ng/ml of nandrolone. Normally, an adult will test for this kind of anabolic steroid at around 2ng/ml, while athletes with vigorous activities could test with levels reaching 6ng/ml.

Sherk has battled with the CSAC for seven months though court of appeals, media and the Internet. He also stated that he will never fight in California due to the unprofessional manner in which they dealt with his case.

He then managed to reduce the penalty for six months but the damage to his career, finances and personal reputation has been tarnished. He also lost significant money in sponsorships but his money has been regained after two years. “I lost tons of sponsors,” he said. “Basically, I can’t get a nutrition company to sponsor me. None of them want to touch me. I’ve had people straight up tell me they don’t want anything to do with me because of the steroid stuff.”

Meanwhile, Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, Sherk passed yet another test. He was randomly tested prior his UFC 98 bout together with Hughes, Edgar and Matt Serra. The result was a no surprise to Sherk and said he’s at least gratified that California has revamped its testing procedures after his case. Sherk wants to leave behind all the negative issues and be recognized for his accomplishments and not as a steroid user. Years after the controversy, he believes that he may finally be vindicated. He was even randomly chosen by Kizer for prefight testing.

“I’m becoming a better fighter all the time and I’m becoming more well-versed in all aspects,” Sherk said. “That’s usually not what people want to talk to me about, though. It’s not what some of these sponsors think. I understand where they’re coming from, but it’s frustrating for me because I’m an innocent party who has done nothing but work as hard as I possibly could to become as good as I possibly can.”

Brazilian heavyweight Antonio Silva, who was last seen winning the EliteXC belt, lost his civil suit filed against the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). He will be serving one year of suspension for steroid use. Silva, who was suspended and fined $2,500 for his alleged use of the anabolic steroid Boldenone, flouted his initial suspension and made his appeal to the CSAC. The CSAC proposed to suspend Silva’s manager Alex Davis for letting Silva fight after the suspension was made.

Silva was crowned the first-ever heavyweight champion of EliteXC, scoring 11-1 and a TKO in the second round against Justin Eilers, but later failed a drug test that was administered by the CSAC. The substance which was found in his system, Boldenone, is a form of anabolic steroid that was developed for veterinary use, particularly for horses. The same drug has been used before by boxers, football players, mixed martial artists, and other athletes as a performance enhancer.

Silva’s manager, Davis, said that the CSAC’s action was an attempt to extend their jurisdiction to the whole world and that Silva had to fight in Japan after the suspension, for financial reasons. Davis added that Silva has a condition called ‘acromegaly’ and needs to be treated. Silva is said to be spending $6,000 to $8,000 a month to treat this condition and thus needed to keep on fighting to make a living. Davis said that if they had to choose between pleasing the commission and Silva’s health, they would to choose Silva’s health. While it is understandable that the commission would have to suspend Silva after he tested positive for Boldenone, Davis said that the commission would have to go back and look at the facts once they had doubts. Instead, Davis said that the CSAC didn’t investigate and didn’t meet the burden of proof. From then on, he said, nothing has been fair. He also believed that the CSAC was completely wrong with this. He hoped that the new executive director, Bill Douglas, would reorganize and improve the CSAC’s testing and appeals process. At the time Silva tested positive, the CSAC was headed by Amando Garcia.

According to CSAC’s executive director, Bill Douglas, Silva was re-tested by two independent laboratories: Quest Diagnostics, the result of which served as sample “A” and Laboratoire De Controle Du Dopage, the result of which served as sample “B.” All the other players in the said event tested clean for drugs and other banned substances except for Silva.

In the plea, Silva’s attorney argued that the detected substance can be attributed to an over-the-counter supplement called Novadex, a legal testosterone-booster which Silva was allegedly using to counter the effects of his low-testosterone caused by his acromegaly. Novadex is sold in health stores and bodybuilding outlets and is approved by the FDA. It can be bought without a prescription and can be bought online for less than thirty dollars a bottle.

The CSAC acknowledged the argument of Silva’s attorney. Judge David P. Yaffe, the one who presided over Silva’s ruling, ruled that Novadex can be classified as a performance enhancing drug in cases where it is intended to affect the structure or any other function in the body.