As he prepares to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title tonight, Randy Couture said in an interview with Mr. Sunshine that he's sick of the UFC critics who say the sport has a problem with steroids.
Couture is right that NFL players don't have to take steroid tests at every game, but then again, UFC fighters don't have to make themselves available for random tests 365 days a year the way NFL players do. I don't think the UFC's steroid problem is nearly as big as Bob Arum suggested, but it's probably bigger than Couture thinks.
I don't think it should be embarassing for the UFC. It's embarassing for the athletes. It's a stigma we all have to crawl out from under. ... (UFC) is handing out pretty stiff fines and penalties. We are regulating it, we are testing. Imagine if they tested NFL players every Sunday when they put on their cleats. Every time we put on our gloves and go out to a competition, we get tested. And if we come up positive, we're losing the ability to make a living in our sport for year. That's pretty stiff. I don't think UFC should be embarrassed."
Couture is right that NFL players don't have to take steroid tests at every game, but then again, UFC fighters don't have to make themselves available for random tests 365 days a year the way NFL players do. I don't think the UFC's steroid problem is nearly as big as Bob Arum suggested, but it's probably bigger than Couture thinks.