10 UFC Steroid Statistics, Trends and Facts

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a company that hosts and promotes the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and was founded in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1993. Since then it has grown to be the largest Pay-Per-View (PPV) event provider in the world, hosting 618 UFC events in 163 cities in 28 countries.

The UFC has grown to be the biggest and most popular MMA contest in the world, with the likes of Connor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, and various others competing. 10 UFC Steroid Statistics, Trends and Facts

As with any professional sport, the use of Anabolic Steroids was bound to find its way in as a performance enhancer. Steroids can be defined as synthetic versions of certain Androgens found in the body, most commonly Testosterone and variants of Testosterone. That said, other performance enhancing durgs (PEDs) can also be found in the UFC. 10 UFC Steroid Statistics, Trends and Facts

To date, there have been more than 120 sanctions in the UFC for the use of performance enhancing drugs. We’re about to look at various statistics such as:

Most commonly used Steroids by UFC Athletes
Which athletes have been caught with the strongest Steroids
Which athletes have been caught the most
Females being caught with Steroids
The longest suspension in UFC ever
Key UFC Steroid Statistics
The UFC have only been testing for Steroids since 2015
The first suspension was for Gleison Tibua in 2015
10% of all tests since 2015 have been positive
Athletes can be tested up to 10 times in a single calander year
The longest suspension was for Ruslan Magomedov, totaling 4 years
All UFC Steroid Statistics
1. The longest suspension by the USADA sanction was for Ruslan Magomedov in 2018.

 

In 2016 he was tested positive for Ostarine, after which he was suspended for two years. He then got caught in 2018 for using both Methyltestosterone and Stanozolol, both oral Steroids that increase strength and recovery dramatically

2. The most commonly used drug in the UFC is called Ostarine, which is known as a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator.

Ostarine is known to increase strength, endurance, and might help with muscle growth as well. While Ostarine was created as a medical treatment, various athletes use it to boost performance. To date, 22 athletes have been found with Ostarine in their body

3. Not all busts have been for the use of PEDs.

Ion Cutelaba was suspended for 6 months in 2018 for a Blood Transfusion which could have increased both cardiovascular and muscular endurance. This is something a lot of cyclists will do as well. Paulo Costa and Jay Dee Penn were both suspended for Intravenous Infusions in 2019 and 2016 respectively.

4. Some athletes are banned for recreational drugs.

The Shortest Suspension in the UFC was in 2021 for Juancamilo Ronderos Alvis, as he was found to be using Cocaine.

5. The biggest suspension besides Ruslan Magomedov was issued to Ricardo Abreu.

He was supended for having the metabolite 19-norandrosterone (19-NA) in his blood, indicating he was using either Nandrolone or Boldenone. Some refer to this metabolite as the dream killer due to the fact that it can remain detectable in the body for up to 18 months

6. Adam Hunter is likely the UFC with the biggest amount of drugs being busted for.

In 2016 he was busted for Tamoxifen; Boldenone, Methandienone, Drostanolone, and Clenbuterol. Some of these are pure Steroids, while Tamoxifen is what an athlete would use to stop the development of Gyno tissue around the breasts due to the increase of Estrogen. He was suspended for 14 months.

7. There has been 23464 Total Tests conducted since 2015.

Over the past 7 years more than 1334 Athletes have been tested, some more thna 10 times in a single calandar year.

8. Joe Rogan thinks 50 – 60% of all UFC athletes are doping

Show the amount of positive results per year increasing

Over the years there have been more and more people being busted for Steroid use. Joe Rogan estimated that 50 – 60% of UFC athletes are doping – back in 2015!

9. Brock Lesnar was fined $250 000 after testing positive for Clomiphene.

Brock Lesnar is a legend in the fighting world, but he was actually founf to be using Clomiphene at the UFC 200. His victory over Mark Hunt was overturned.

Conclusion

There is no denying the fact that Steroids are being abused in the UFC. There are various other PEDs that are used as well, and the usage has grown with the growth in popularity of the sport. This could be due to more pressure being put on fighters, or just competition between the different fighters.

As the testing procedures are developed more, we are bound to see more and more positive results.