SACRAMENTO — A month after mixed martial arts came to Los Angeles and left with an embarrassing trail of three positive tests for performance-enhancing or street drugs, the sport is returning to California tonight in the form of its most popular organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
With pressure to stage a clean show in Arco Arena, UFC 73 will offer a main-event middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and Nathan Marquardt, who is less than two years removed from a positive test for a metabolite of the anabolic steroid nandrolone.
"All the fighters in the UFC know what our position on steroids is," UFC President Dana White said. "You can't use them, you're not supposed to use them. I certainly hope none of my guys are using."
It's a point worth reinforcing.
The California State Athletic Commission, which introduced tests for anabolic agents in March, took positive performance-enhancing drug tests from mixed martial arts legend Royce Gracie and former NFL player Johnnie Morton, and found pedestrian fighter Tim Pursey had methamphetamine in his system at last month's Coliseum show, which was promoted by Japan's Fighting and Entertainment Group. All of the fighters were suspended for one year and fined.
In a subsequent blow, the newly formed MMA organization Elite XC had its main-event loser Phil Baroni test positive for the steroids boldenone and stanozolol at a June 22 card televised by Showtime in San Jose.
"It's sad when the goal is to have a clean show, but they need one for legitimacy," said veteran MMA fighter Frank Shamrock, who defeated Baroni. "The sport's still real young and immature. Positive tests are a problem. It's not safe, and, like it or not, the guys have to follow the rules.
"This is about money. It's a hard sport, and a real young sport, where you can still jump in and become a superstar in a short time. People are taking the risk and going for it."
White, riding a wave of strong and mostly positive publicity for his emerging fighting organization, said UFC leadership has recently discussed conducting a mandatory steroids seminar for its fighters. UFC officials also have e-mailed their fighters about California's upcoming pre- and post-fight tests.
"There's talk among the fighters now, that [California] is strict, that they'll test every participant, and that the commission will follow you around, and sit there and watch your [urine] test," Marquardt said. "If you're going to test, you better do it right."
