cowboyronnie wrote:"Common", how? That's interesting. ^^^ Do fighters on his team use them openly (with coaches/partners)?
The truth is black and white. You're cheating - breaking the rules - if you're taking steroids.
I didn't push any further. He said that he doesn't do it, but has seen it. Which lead me to believe that he has seen it within his camp. I appreciated his honesty and realized that even the little that he did say, it could compromise his career a bit. As silly as it sounds, I feel a bit reserved even sharing this much, even if there are no real juicy details to tie it to anyone specific.
I'll say that steroids are used for all sorts of conditions and ailments and are regularly prescribed to civilians. Hell my Dad took steroids for psoriasis. I guess that's kind of the gray area I am referring to. Athletes don't have the same privileges because of abuse. It's a shame that it has to be a zero tolerance policy.
For example, Steroids can help heal isolated muscle injuries much quicker. In sports, time is essential. In MMA it is vital. These guys spend months training, spending a lot of income for their one big payday. One injury can derail that, and really put them in financial struggle. Here is a letter from Hermes Franca after the positive result.
"In the next few days, the results from the California Commission will be released. The tests will show that I had a "banned substance" in my system.
I would like to apologize to my fans, the UFC, my students and family. I offer only an explanation and not an excuse. I made a decision during a difficult time in my training for the fight that I regret.
About 8 weeks out from the fight, I badly injured my ankle during a training session. For the following week I had rested it, rehabbed it and tried to work around the injury. It was obvious that I could not train as required.
I contacted the UFC and explained my injury and how I could not possibly train to the level I thought I would need in order to be properly prepared for my fight. I asked the UFC if we could push the fight out to the following UFC with the chance that it could happen. They explained that they could not do that and that the card had been set and it isnt as easy as just moving around a fight. I totally understood their position. They asked me to keep them informed should I not be able to fight.
I had not fought for 5 months. Fighting is literally how I put food on my wife and childs table and how I pay my bills. As a fighter though, even at this level, I live a simple life and I literally live from fight to fight. Not getting a paycheck for another few months and losing my chance to fight Sean for the title was overpowering. Fighting is the life I chose and I love it.
As a lightweight fighter, our purses are comparatively small. The public sees the payouts. As lightweights, we do not pull down the money anything near the bigger guys. Its just the way it is. I think Sean fought and defended his title for less than $30,000. Its no ones fault, its just the market. I love the sport, I love the people in the sport.
At this point I was desperate and needed anything I could to get my injury as close to healing as possible and be able to recover from the daily training regimen I was going through. I made the shortsighted choice to hopefully accelerate the healing process and allow me to keep training. Under the pressure of literally not being able to pay next months bills I made a choice. I had to fight and did whatever I could to do so.
I hope my fans, students, the UFC and the public accept my sincere apology. Whatever punishment is dictated by the California Athletic Commission I will understand. I would like to get through this very difficult time and the times ahead and get back to fighting. All the best to my fans and much thanks to my family and friends that continue to support me during these times.
--Hermes Franca"
Franca cheated, no question. But he didn't dispute it like Sherk did. He didn't make outlandish claims of "supplements" containing these steroids without his knowledge. He made a mistake. One that bit him in the ass and made him lose far more than he anticipated. Was the ankle injury actually repaired with the self medication? I don't know. But I do believe that he believed it, and I have no doubts that either teammates, coaches, or both made the suggestion while he was struggling with the uncertainty.
All in all I think it is more a flaw in the way fighters are paid, than the fact that steroids should be allowed, but I guess I can sympathize in cases like this over cases like Kimo Leopoldo looking to beef himself up to appear more bad ass.
