Matt Brown has never held his tongue when it comes to performance enhancing drug use in mixed martial arts.
In the past, the Ohio native has gone as far as suggesting a lifetime ban for a first time offense in the UFC’s anti-doping program.
Brown’s position has always been more about abiding by the rules or just allowing anarchy to rule where everybody competing in the UFC can use banned substances with no recourse.
The latest situation that caught Brown’s attention was Jon Jones being allowed to fight at UFC 232 this past December after multiple drug tests showed that he still had trace amounts of a metabolite in his body that served as a marker for the anabolic steroid Turinabol.
Now USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) and the California State Athletic Commision ruled that Jones didn’t ingest the drug recently but rather this was a ‘pulsing’ effect of a previous use of the banned substance that cost him a 15-month suspension after his original failed drug test in 2017.
Still, Brown doesn’t buy that as an excuse to allow a fighter to compete while there’s any steroids on his body — trace amount or otherwise — because it sends the wrong message to the rest of the athletes in the sport who are competing clean.
“It was very disgusting to me the way that went down,” Brown said this past weekend at Bellator 214. “Apparently he tested positive again, right or we have another positive test. It’s just f—king terrible. I can’t understand why? If they’re going to let him do it, let him do it. Let us all do steroids. Just do it.
“Otherwise, ban the son of b—ches. Either you can do it or you can’t. Why are we in this grey area? I think it’s garbage.”
“Either you can do it or you can’t. Why are we in this grey area? I think it’s garbage” ~ Matt Brown
Brown says he still has a lot of love for the UFC for all the good they’ve done for him over the years but ultimately allowing Jones to fight was just a bad call.
“I love the UFC to death and I have so much respect for those guys. I think it was just a poor decision at that point,” Brown stated. “It’s been what 30 years now of UFC almost so you’re going to make some bad decisions. I think that was a bad decision and a lack of integrity. I just want to see the sport grow with integrity. It should be about the martial arts and it should be about the best competing against the best.
“Things like that it just takes away from it. It really makes me sad cause I want to see our sport grow with integrity and organically. They’ve got to make some money so what am I to say.”
Another positive test was just recently returned for Jones from VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) for the same trace amounts in his body that was found prior to the fight as well.
Jones will face no punishment for the positive drug test as the results are being compared to the same issue that existed before his bout at UFC 232.
There is still one more hurdle Jones has left to jump before booking his next fight at UFC 235 in Las Vegas as he has to go before the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday for a hearing about his previous failed drug test before receiving his license to compete in the state.
