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A: A positive drug test today isn't the kind of black mark on an athlete's career that it was 20 years ago. For that reason we're probably never going to see a "zero tolerance policy" implemented by the UFC, but this could be a special case for a couple of reasons.
Alistair Overeem isn't just another fighter who's tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone; he's massive. He's one of the largest fighters to ever enter the Octagon. Now that he's failed this pre-fight drug test, he's essentially the face of PEDs in mixed martial arts. With steroid scandal after steroid scandal hitting Dana White's desk, it's probably time he made an example of someone.
Whether or not Alistair Overeem is that guy remains to be seen, but there is no chance in hell he ever shakes this steroid rap; he's just too big. Knowing what we know now and looking at the man, it's hard to imagine a scenario in the future where someone sees Alistair Overeem and doesn't think about PEDs.
Now, normally that would mean nothing but there is just so much talk about TRT, PEDs and TUEs today that the UFC is going to have to step up sooner or later and protect their brand. With a guy that looks like Alistair Overeem on their roster who's now failed a drug test, any reform Zuffa tries to enact will look like a joke.
With all of that in mind, I could see how Zuffa could justify cutting him. It certainly isn't my expectation, but with everything that's going on with PEDs in MMA right now, someone is going down for this and "The Demolition Man" could very well be that guy.
Tom writes: Can you explain the situation with B samples? How can a fighter fail an "A" sample and expect a "B" sample to be different, and does it change the consequences of the failed test if the "B" sample is clean?
A: When a fighter gets tested by an athletic commission, their urine sample is divided into an "A" sample and a "B" sample. If the "A" sample tests positive, the fighter has the option to request the "B" sample be tested in hopes for a different result.
According to Dave Meltzer, in the history of MMA drug testing, the "B" sample has never yielded a different result than the "A" sample. Obviously, because it's the same urine, chances are incredibly slim that the "B" sample will turn up clean if the "A" sample is dirty, but there have been discrepancies with "A" samples and "B" samples in the past; just not in MMA.
But, yes a clean "B" sample trumps a positive "A" sample.
Jeff writes: With Alistair Overeem possibly out, what will happen to the main event fight? The only replacement I can think of is Frank Mir, which to me is the smartest choice, but at the same time, Mir's standup has been subpar as of late. It seems to me like he gasses out quickly in the stand up game. How much do you think his weight loss (which was obvious at the pre fight conference) will affect his stamina to be able to stand toe to toe with JDS?
A: Junior dos Santos is criminally underrated right now and he's stylistic poison for everyone in the heavyweight division, not just Frank Mir.
Frank Mir is a great heavyweight, but I just don't think anyone in the division right now has the game to deal with Junior dos Santos. Outside of Cain Velasquez (who he's beaten already) and Daniel Cormier, no one has a real shot at taking him down, and dos Santos is probably going blast everyone on the feet except for maybe Alistair Overeem.
So yeah, if Frank Mir gets his shot at the UFC heavyweight title he's probably going to have his takedown attempts stuffed and he's probably going to get pieced up on the feet, but that has more to do with how good JDS is than it does Mir's defensive liabilities (which are certainly present) or cardio.
That being said, I don't think conditioning is really an area where Frank Mir is outgunned against dos Santos. We saw Mir go the distance twice in the last two years and fatigue wasn't really too much of an issue for him. Even if it were, Junior dos Santos slows down at about the same rate as most heavyweights even if he doesn't necessarily gas out. So assuming Frank Mir doesn't get blasted early, I think he could definitely match dos Santos in terms of cardio for however long the fight lasts.
But again, my expectation is that Junior dos Santos would finish Frank Mir probably sometime in the first round.
Feel free to follow me on Twitter @JasonAmadi and direct your "Ask the Torch" questions to mmatorch@gmail.com
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Ask_the_Torch_41/article_12966.shtml
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