Elliott Fight Dynamics

Dan Hardy Claims Many MMA Fighters Use PED

 

Largely because of the recent confessions of cyclist Lance Armstrong, performance enhancing drugs (PED) have been all over the news lately. Dan Hardy got on his Twitter account on January 21 and claimed that most of the elite fighters in MMA use PED.

 

His Tweet read "Every single elite level athlete's on the same page—they all dope. –Not all of them, but yes…most do for sure." Asked by a Twitter follower if he would fight someone who he knew was doping, Hardy said that he already had, "lots of times".

 

Testosterone replacement therapy has been a controversial subject in sports. Testosterone replacement therapy is used in men who have low levels of the essential hormone to restore normal red blood cell levels, psychological health and bone health. In a Tweet where he was asked about this type of therapy, Hardy acknowledged that some men to require it—"If you need it, cool'—but said that he had seen "both sides", meaning having seen men who need testosterone replacement therapy for legitimate reasons and men who use it to increase their performance levels.

 

ESPN once asked Vitor Belfort if he was on testosterone replacement therapy or if it was something he would consider. Belfort hedged on the question, saying that he had the choice of whether or not to answer a question that was private and to make that private matter public in a rather rambling way.

 

UFC has had its share of doping issues. Belfort once tested positive for steroids, as reported by MMA Weekly. Testosterone replacement therapy, however, is sometimes used as a legitimate medical treatment, which can earn a fighter an exemption from having that use considered as a performance enhancing drug.

 

Hardy himself will be taking to the cage in April on UFC on Fox 7, where he will fight Matt Brown.