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Enhancers-Steroids and MMA
by Bachir Ayoub, Team IronLife.com Writer
 What to do now? With all the recent positive exposure MMA has been getting in the mainstream media, especially the tireless effort of the fans favorite whipping boy Tito Ortiz, a curve ball was thrown in our collective direction. It is no secret that with good definitely comes bad. MMA’s number one enemy is ignorance. With ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption and the comments of Jim Rome showing the collective intelligence of a jar of mustard, fans had yet another hurdle to overcome. Recently the positive steroid test of UFC champ Tim Sylvia after UFC 44 was the last thing the sport needed. I am not an expert on steroids nor do I claim to be, but one thing we can all agree on is that steroids are not looked at in a positive light in the mainstream. The claims may be legitimate, they may be taboo but it is very clear they are not looked at in a positive manner.
The sport is still young and is still taking baby steps towards legitimacy. In my eyes an MMA fighter is not an athlete but the athlete. Spending countless hours locked in a dojo for months then being unleashed on your opponent like a caged tiger on an effeminate German magician is what makes this sport great. After the battle is said and done like true a sportsman, the combatant walks over embraces his opponent and they share a bond that few share and even fewer understand.  That’s the pleasant side of the sport. No one gets to see the toll that the training takes on your body. I have been sidelined with a knee injury for a year now, and will probably not get to train the way I did in the past. I was training an average of two hours a day, four times a week. Tim Sylvia and Josh Barnett were training upwards of eight hours a day, and it wasn’t a light contact workout. These guys were getting banged up by fighters like Matt Hume, Jeremy Horn and Pat Militech. Tim and Josh where not the most pleasant fighters to look at but when they should up to fight, few can poke fun. I can see how making it to center stage after hours of exhausting training, would make the fighter want nothing more than the fans love and respect.
Josh Barnett and Tim Sylvia were judged by some fans on their unpleasant outer appearance and not on their near perfect skill. Tim looked cut in his last outing and most fans took it to be a sign of the champs renewed need for training to stay on top. Josh was never given such a chance; he was given the mean spirited handle of the "Baby Fat Assassin" and more people were to busy making fun of him than observing his skill. With Sylvia it appeared to be an issue with him being unhappy with his appearance. With Josh it is clearly a strength issue. Josh overpowered most of his athletes and many questions were raised about how legitimate he was. He has been recently exported to Japan and was taken to his limit by a much smaller and weaker Yuki Kondo. It has most fans wanting answers and past opponents wanting a rematch. Needless to say, Josh Barnett has yet to gain the respect that he has after defeating Randy Couture. Josh and Tim may be similar in certain aspects but they couldn’t be more different.
The Militech camp is known for being and efficient machine that relies on technique and a strong work ethic. They don’t brag they don’t gloat after they win; they’re just a couple of blue collared everyday Joes that roll over  their opponents with ease. They’re, in my opinion, the best team in MMA. They got skills, plain and simple. The thing I love about the Militech camp the most is how humble they are. They rarely seem to care about what people say. With the exception of Matt Hughes, the rest of the guys are always underdogs and they seem to love it. In true Militech fashion, Tim has dealt with the scandal in a classy, ballsy fashion.
He hasn’t tried to hide behind anyone excuse, he stepped up and said I did it and am ready to take the consequences whatever they may be. Unfortunately for Tim, he is not the only one that has to suffer the consequences of his decision to take steroids. It is a whole community that has to deal with new waves of ignorance that will be hurled in their direction. I feel for Tim and I respect him for his commitment and willingness to hone his craft more than I can express in a sentence or two. That is why I was so disappointed to hear about Tim testing positive. I have no right to pass judgment on Tim as a person, but as a buyer of PPV’s I have the right to pass judgment on Tim as a fighter. My assessment of the recent events is as follows. Tim, much like the sport, is young and will make the mistakes. It is up to his fans to stick by him right now. No body will be harder on Tim Sylvia than Tim Sylvia. The fans that have stuck by the sport will have to stick by their champion in defiance of the flow of criticism that is sure to fallow from the oblivious main stream that is bound to point out the dark cloud that is looming over the sport.
* Article by Bachir Ayoub, Team IronLife.com Writer.
* Back to Issue #4 Frontpage
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