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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Following the news of positive drug tests for Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman out of UFC 153, Fight Hub TV caught up with several fighters to get their reactions over the weekend. The video is below, along with a transcription of their comments:
Tyrone Spong: I'm no lawyer, I don't know man. It's not too good for the sport. These things happen; I don't know why or what he tested positive [for]. I don't know if it was an injury or what. It's too bad. These things happen. No [I don't think marijuana's as bad], no. I'm from Amsterdam, so… next question.
Travis Browne: Obviously. Did you not see his weigh-in pictures, him sitting on the beach? He was ripped. You know what I mean? Like, damn! I was not surprised at all, I wasn't surprised with Dave Herman, either (laughs). That's the wonderful thing about this world we live in is that you have free agency. You can do whatever you want. If a guy wants to smoke weed and get in the cage, he's going to get in trouble. There's rules, there's rules in place, and there's a reason for them. They're trying to take this sport to the next level, and we have guys who are abusing certain drugs and all that kind of stuff. Whether it's a performance enhancing drug or not, it's not socially acceptable, I guess, the mom and pops are not cool with it. And us as athletes have a responsibility to take this sport to the next level. When you have guys doing that, it kind of blows it for us. It is what it is, and they're going to make examples of guys like that.
Rampage Jackson: I had no idea he did, I don't follow MMA and stuff like that, but I'm not surprised. He tested positive before years ago, so I'm not surprised. But Stephan Bonnar, he's the UFC's golden boy, he can do whatever he want. I'm surprised they even let that news get out… Honestly, I don't think a person who tests positive for marijuana should be penalized in an athletic sport, because he's already penalizing himself by taking the marijuana. It don't enhance your performance, it kind of dulls it in my opinion. I don't know, I've never even trained off marijuana before. I feel like marijuana's an herb, it's from the earth, and as long as it's in its natural form I don't see nothing wrong with it as long as you don't abuse it. That's my opinion, I don't see nothing wrong with it as long as you don't abuse it. You can abuse anything, you can abuse aspirin. That's why they call it drug abuse. People think if you do a drug you're abusing it, but no, if you take it too much you're abusing it. I think that if a fighter, or an athlete, tests positive for marijuana, he's already messing up his game, so don't penalize him. But [PEDs] or cocaine or anything like that, if somebody tests positive for that stuff, then yeah, penalize them, whatever you do, fine 'em, suspend 'em. But marijuana? Leave 'em alone. Some people use it for medicine, you can get medicine cards for that these days.
Ed Soares: I feel bad for him, you know, I feel bad for him. Bonnar's a good guy, it's just unfortunate… I don't have any thoughts [on Dave Herman]. It's unfortunate for him. I don't see how marijuana is a performance enhancing drug, but it is in the rules, so he shouldn't have done it.
Eddie Alvarez: I don't condone steroids; I don't hate on anybody who does them. I'm an athlete, I know the pressure that fighters have to deal with. I'm not going to judge anyone for doing steroids. It runs rampant in this sport and it sucks that it does. Me personally, I'd never do 'em, I'm not going to do enhancements. Anybody who knows me, knows that I'm not going to do them. But I'm not going to sit here and judge anyone who has done them. I know the pressure, and I know the expectations that people put upon you as a fighter, and sometimes we do stupid things that we regret because we want to live up to certain expectations. That's just being an athlete, and it sucks that it's something we have to go through… I don't know [on marijuana], what's that a recreational drug? It's all drugs. To each his own, man. Some people smoke weed, some people do steroids, some people drink alcohol; who are we to judge? It's to each his own. It's that line, 'whoever hasn't sinned cast the first stone," so whatever.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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