Luke Rockhold: Machida PED Use ‘Definitely A Thought’
Heading into his potential title eliminator against Lyoto Machida in the main event of this Saturday night’s (April 18, 2015) UFC on FOX 15 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, no. 4-ranked middleweight Luke Rockhold is concerned with the state of performance-enhancing drug (PED) use in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Although the UFC has ramped up their testing policies in a seemingly big way after the recent failures of high-profile fighters like Anderson Silva and Hector Lombard, Rockhold stills holds a heated grudge against fighters who cheat. That’s perhaps due to his octagon debut, where notorious PED failure Vitor Belfort knocked him out with an infamous spinning kick at UFC on FX 8 nearly two years ago.
Rockhold was angry heading into that fight knowing Belfort was on the now-banned testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT). He recently told Dave Meltzer that the added dynamic made him fight with more emotion than was needed:
“I was just p*ssed off. I came in with a lot of weight on my shoulders,” Rockhold said. “It was my debut in UFC, fighting Vitor in Brazil, knowing he’s on steroids. I was thinking a lot of things. You wanna f*cking test me? You want to send me to Brazil to fight Vitor on steroids? You have no faith in me. It p*ssed me off. I said, ‘I’ll beat his ass on steroids. It doesn’t matter.’ I was furious knowing I was fighting a cheater and I let it get to me. I could have fought that fight so much better.”
He knows Machida isn’t labeled a PED user, but unfortunately many of his Blackhouse teammates are, as three of their fighters, including Silva, have been caught using the banned steroid drostanolone since July 2014. Rockhold said he thinks Machida is clean, but with new and inventive ways to mask abuse, the thought of him using PEDs had crossed his mind:
“I see Machida training with those guys and it makes me question it, but I like to think Machida is clean. He definitely appears like he hasn’t changed too much. He’s shredded down, but he’s also a weight class down. But it’s definitely a thought. Anderson Silva didn’t look like he used steroids. A lot of guys don’t. I’ve been in the game and heard a lot about it. How did Hector Lombard get by so long without getting caught?”
As for him ever getting caught using PEDs, Rockhold ruled it out vehemently. He said that he’d rather do something else if fighting required him to use steroids:
“I couldn’t live with myself. I wouldn’t do it. I’d get out of the sport and do something else. But I know a lot of guys say that stuff and then get popped, and some have really surprised me.”
Wanting a level playing field with a title shot possibly on the line, Rockhold detailed how he requested out of competition testing for he and Machida, and is eagerly anticipating his first blood test:
“Blood test me over-and-over,” he said. “I’m hoping to get my first blood test. I imagine we’ll get tested (before the fight). I contacted the commission and asked for (out of competition) testing. I’ve been informed there will be various forms of testing. I guess that means blood and urine when they say various forms. They can’t tell me anything except there will be multiple tests.”
Going back to Lombard, who was suspended one year after testing positive for a designer steroid following his UFC 182 win over Josh Burkman, Rockhold voiced his strong stance that the punishment simply did not fit the crime in this supposed era of PED crackdown:
“Everyone speaks highly of the guy. His track record is simply amazing, but I’ll believe it when I see it. You see them making those efforts and then they try to make excuses for Anderson Silva. Anderson’s a legend, but the fact is, he got caught for using steroids and he should be punished. They’re talking about stepping up punishments, but it was still a one-year ban for Hector Lombard. One year in this sport is nothing. I’m disgusted by a one-year suspension.”
Amidst a windfall of PED talk, Rockhold still managed to fixate his focus on the task at hand in Machida. Giving himself the lofty title of the ‘most well-rounded fighter in the game,’ Rockhold believes he’ll make the fight play out how he wants it to come Saturday night:
“I’ll fight my fight. I’m going to control the cage, strike with him, and make him think about my takedowns. If he’s taken to the ground, he’ll get into trouble, and it’ll open up my striking. The key is MMA, and I’m the most well-rounded fighter in the game. If I put it all together, I don’t have to worry about too much.”
Photo Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
