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"The Anderson Silva fight, I have 25 stitches across my cheek from when he blasted me. Every day when I look in the mirror, I have a clear reminder of what those drugs did to me and what lies ahead of me if I was ever to start using that garbage ever again... It wasn't until a time that I just stopped taking them that I realized I needed them just to keep on functioning. At that time I had become an addict and I was hooked on them... I needed to get caught. I needed to get in trouble for it and wake me up and get off of those things. Since then, since I've had that suspension, (since) I've been drug-free, it's been the happiest time of my entire life. I can honestly say that. A lot of people throw that around, but I can tell you (it's true) with my family, with my wife, my training. I've found a new love in training again, it's something that I had lost while using those prescription drugs and I just feel like a new person."
-James Irvin talks to The Canadian Press about his battle with prescription drugs that led to a suspension following his last fight against Anderson Silva.
Penick's Analysis: Irvin has a nearly two year layoff to contend with apart from this being his first drop down to middleweight coming into his fight with Alessio Sakara on Sunday in Colorado on Versus. Prescription painkillers can be a serious issue for people to deal with, especially people that put their body through a lot of abuse. There's a long history of issues in the pro wrestling industry for those individuals when it comes to prescription pills, and it's no surprise that someone that has suffered the amount of injuries as Irvin has ended up with some type of problem with them. It's great to see that he's moved past that addiction and gotten the help he needed to get back on track and get back to his fighting career.
FYI: James Irvin was the first WEC Heavyweight Champion, winning the Title in 2004 and defending it twice in the next year before making his UFC debut.
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