Chris Leben Tests Positive for Stanazolol
by Luke Thomas on Nov 3, 2008 5:03 PM EST
in News
36 comments
Remember this? Stanazolol can take months to clear your system, but maybe now it's explained by more than sweat equity:
Chris Leben became the first high-profile fighter suspended by the Ultimate Fighting Championships for failing a drug test, when results came back positive on Monday for the steroid Stanazolol in a test administered after his three-round loss to Michael Bisping on Oct. 18 in Birmingham, England.
The UFC suspended Leben for nine months and fined him one-third of his undisclosed fight purse.
Several UFC fighters, including champions like Tim Sylvia, Sean Sherk and Josh Barnett, had been suspended and forced to relinquish their championships after positive tests administered by both the Nevada and California State Athletic Commissions.
Because UFC events held in the United Kingdom are not under the auspices of a commission, the UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner, who for years headed the Nevada commission, performs many of the duties normally associated with an athletic commission for those events.
"I am obviously disappointed with Chris, who has made great strides getting his life back on track," said UFC president Dana White. "To his credit, he has taken responsibility for his actions and is accepting the punishment that has been handed down. But as always, the UFC puts the safety of its athletes first and foremost, and we won’t tolerate anyone using performance enhancing drugs in our organization."
"I’ve really done everything I can to turn my life around," said Leben.
"And this is a huge setback for me. But it’s something I will have to deal with. During my time off from fighting, I want to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance enhancing agents and let them know it just doesn’t get you ahead in life. Of course, this is a hard hit for me monetarily, but more so this is embarrassing for me and for all my fans."
There's not much to add here about Leben. He deserves whatever punishment he gets, but I can say it's good of the UFC to test, punish and publicize when it comes to drug testing overseas. This demonstrates a committment to transparency and accountability they are not legally obliged to follow. I applaud their efforts.
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Making facts public that could damage the credibility or popularity of a main-card fighter.
UFC: the anti-Pride.
by subo on Nov 3, 2008 5:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yawn. In all honesty, I really thought Chris Leben was on some type of performance enchancing drug when he fought Michael Bisping. I understand that he has turned his life around, and he has been working extremely hard to establish himself, but in July when I saw Chris Leben he was not looking like that. I understand he was not cutting weight at the time and was walking heavier than 185, but still Leben’s frame seemed a lot larger. I am sadly not surprised.
by "Mr. NC-17" on Nov 3, 2008 5:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Sneaky, sneaky.......
Leben, fighting overseas thought he , most likely, would NOT get tested. Boy was he wrong. He got caught, plain and simple.
by fightfan on Nov 4, 2008 12:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
karma
I recall the video with Leben, Kos, and Sanchez sitting in a car accusing Alves of being on roids.
by steveoc24 on Nov 3, 2008 5:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
If the drug has "lol" in it you are going to be caught.
Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.
by P Brady on Nov 3, 2008 5:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
People…ALL of the top level fighters are on SOME form of drug. When will people begin to understand this? Every time I point out the fact that to survive..just to SURVIVE in this sport you need to be doing some form of steroid..I get blasted. All those guys, Alves, all of them are doing something. Give me a break.
This is not shocking at all.
by lbk on Nov 3, 2008 5:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
You are just plain wrong. you can’t make blanket statements like this. Its just not fair. Where are the test that the fighters pass coming from? Why do some pass and others don’t?
by szucconi on Nov 3, 2008 5:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That damn Chris Leben. He should’ve asked lbk for the secret steroid that is undetectable. I mean, everyone is on it, so the majority of fighters must be on lbk’s super steroid that is undetectable. And the ones who are caught are just not as smart as lbk.
by cyph on Nov 3, 2008 6:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Guy Mezger on steroids from my book, page 167:
"Let’s put it this way. People talk about the Olympics – if you’re a performance athlete in the Olympics. There are two kinds, there’s the guys that take steroids, and they’re the ones who get the medals. And the ones that don’t take steroids, and they’re the ones that get a handshake for being there. And that’s the way it is. They’re just better at getting past the drug test…
“Now there are plenty of guys in the fight business that don’t do it. Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of guys out there who don’t use any drugs … but there are plenty of guys with much tougher schedules and stuff that do take it. So the problem that I see facing this is that it goes down from the prime athletes who do the drugs, to the kids doing the drugs. And that’s my main complaint with the whole thing.”
That was the attitude in track & field for many years (and may still be). I’ve gone head to head with dozens of Olympians in the 400 hurdles back in college, and many people had a kind of defeated attitude that the best people out there were on roids and had not getting caught down to a science. I’m not saying all the top guys in MMA (or any other sport) are roiding, but I firmly believe more people are using steroids that most people believe.
by dmayeda on Nov 3, 2008 5:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Of course! If the other guy is better than you, then he must be on steroids. It is inconceivable that talent, skill, heart, and ability give them the advantage! Mezger said it, so it must be true!
by cyph on Nov 3, 2008 6:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My sarcastic statement was directed at Mezger’s quote. I do agree with you that there are more people who probably use it and cycle off than are caught. However, how do we quantify more. Since we can’t, all it serves is to cast doubt on honest athletes.
I disagree with the statement that champions are the ones on roids. Talent and skill is what separates the best from the average. It is no coincidence that the ones caught are almost always the average fighters who just couldn’t get over the hump.
The ones with the biggest egos are also the ones who like to blame their failures on external things like steroids.
by cyph on Nov 3, 2008 6:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
As it states in the article:
“Tim Sylvia, Sean Sherk and Josh Barnett, had been suspended and forced to relinquish their championships after positive tests”
I wouldn’t call them average fighters looking to get over the hump.
by Day Man on Nov 3, 2008 6:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Other than Barnett, I would still assert that these guys aren’t the best. Sylvia and Sherk were champions when their respective divisions were weak. Even Barnett, who I’m not sure how good he actually is because of the steroid era in Pride, aren’t in the leagues of Fedor, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, etc. And who are to say that had these guys not use steroids that they have been champ? Aren’t they using steroids as a crutch to get over the hump? It takes quite a conspiracy theorist to think that champions won their way to the belt and keeps defending it time after time while on the juice.
And your examples just prove that the system works. The cheaters were caught. Either the system works or it doesn’t. Funny how the ones who were caught cheating are now used as fodder to sully the reputation of everybody else. If cheating was so easy, they wouldn’t be caught in the first place!
by cyph on Nov 3, 2008 7:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I never asserted that they were the best. My assertion was that they are definitely above average fighters. Comparing them to the three best fighters in the world right now (apologies to GSP) isn’t really good evidence that they are simply average and neither is the fact that their divisions happened to be weak.
I also don’t agree with you using the fact that tests show steroids are in the sport to show that everyone else is clean and I really don’t agree with you that it is such a crazy idea that fighters would be able to win a title while juicing and never get caught.
“The system either works or it doesn’t” is a completely untrue statement. Athletes can beat and game the testing system which allows them to test negative even when they have been using. A steroid user who cycles or masks his tests will have a certain percentage chance to show up positive on whatever test he is given depending on a number of factors (how much of the drug did he take, when was the last time he took the drug, how his body processes the drug, how much is his sample diluted by water, is he using any masking agents, etc) so the fact that the test comes up positive sometimes and negative sometimes isn’t evidence that those positive and negative tests are perfect.
by Day Man on Nov 3, 2008 9:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The problem is that you can prove that a fighter passed a drug test. You can’t prove that a fighter took steroid but masked the test. You are basically throwing an accusation that can’t be proven. You have to prove that a fighter cheats.
How would you like it if someone accuses you of murder. Yet, instead of proving your guilt, the person says that you have to prove that you’re not guilty. How do you prove a negative? It’s not possible. That’s how ludicrous your position is.
by cyph on Nov 3, 2008 10:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Which position is ludicrous? The only position I’ve taken is that you are incorrect in asserting that only average fighters have been caught and that it would be inconceivable that a fighter could have beaten enough tests to become champion.
As far as your hypothetical, your statement that you can’t prove a negative is incorrect. What you are talking about is switching the burden of proof which would be more difficult but not impossible.
by Day Man on Nov 4, 2008 1:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
How does a fighter prove that he’s not juicing up?
by cyph on Nov 4, 2008 6:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed, I certainly wouldn’t assume someone like B.J. Penn was roiding, nor guys like A. Silva, GSP, etc. You’re right, that’s not fair. I would like to know exactly what the UFC and other testing organizations test for. To my knowledge, they don’t test for HGH, which I’ve heard informally quite a few HWT’s take. Anyhow, don’t want to see MMA ending up like baseball years down the road with a tarnished reputation. MMA’s under too much scrutiny already from the mainstream; baseball eventually got by because, well, it’s America’s past time. They have history.
by dmayeda on Nov 3, 2008 6:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
There have been many scientific papers written about HGH that not only does it not help performance, it actually hinders it. The studies shown that HGH is only effective when taken with steroids.
I think it’s quite a stretch to think that HGH is the miracle drug that helps average fighters become championship caliber. No studies have shown it other than the claims of the HGH peddlers.
by cyph on Nov 3, 2008 7:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Why do you only assume those guys are the ones not using steroids? Because they’re the best? That’s counter-intuitive if steroids are supposed to help you.
Sometimes the people using steroids are the ones you don’t expect – many small, weak hitters in baseball have been found to use steroids.
by bigweeze on Nov 4, 2008 1:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think it’s simply an attitude many top level athletes have in a variety of sports. It truly was rampant in track & field back in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, which is why I brought up the example. So as for Mezger’s comments, I don’t automatically discount them as motivated from bitter feelings. Rembember, he fought in PRIDE for many years where they never tested, and it was common knowledge that many PRIDE fighters roided. Dan Henderson told me the same thing about PRIDE.
by dmayeda on Nov 3, 2008 6:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You have your head in the sand. You probably think Mark Maguire hit 70 homers clean and that Barry’s head size is merely a grand coincidence.
Get real pal.
by lbk on Nov 3, 2008 8:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Straw man. McGwire and Bond is neither here or there. The fact that someone took steroid has no basis in fact to another unrelated person. Anecdotal evidence is not proof. There are much anecdotal evidence that the moon landing was faked. And yet, that is not proof.
by cyph on Nov 3, 2008 10:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
“During my time off from fighting, I want to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance enhancing agents and let them know it just doesn’t get you ahead in life.”
Sounds like what he planned to do all along if he got caught.
by Gza on Nov 3, 2008 5:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
He wasn’t cheating – he was researching for his PSA!
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Nov 3, 2008 6:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
SMH at Leben...
UFC better get a handle on this situation. The last thing they need is a situation like this. Something like this could set them back before they even get started. Makes me wonder how many boxers take ‘roids. Of course Oscar De La Hoya isn’t doing anything. Dude has zero muscle mass.
Back to Leben, not surprised in the least bit. Just disappointed. He made me believe if you work really hard you to can get a six pack. Oh well, back to my steak and cheese subs and burgers. LOL
by Akorn on Nov 3, 2008 7:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Uh, so what happened to being reformed and clean?
In the lead up to the fight, it was all about how he was not drinking, staying clean for the first time in his life. And now this.
"During my time off from fighting, I want to speak to kids about the dangers of using performance enhancing agents and let them know it just doesn’t get you ahead in life."
Sorry pal, but you can only do the redemption schtick once. Twice is a scam.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
by thetakeover on Nov 3, 2008 8:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
“fool me once, shame on.. shame on you. Mefoome you can’t get fooled again.”
by mythbuster on Nov 3, 2008 8:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Chris chris chris..
You are supposed to be using a designer made version of HGH. It was undetectable in the olympics and is almost impossible to detect even if you are looking for it.
by DirtyML on Nov 3, 2008 9:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Winny? Why would any fighter take winstrol is beyond me! Its hard to mask and lingers in your system for several months after your final dose (oral or injection). Anavar on the other hand can be detected for only about 2-3 weeks after the last dose.
And yes, almost every top fighter has juiced at some point.
by cauliflower_ears on Nov 3, 2008 11:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Aren't you supposed to win
when you juice up? lol
by dnevil001 on Nov 4, 2008 8:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Why the hell is Leben taking steroids in the first place? His main two attributes are his hard head and big power. Steroids really isn’t going to improve any of that and the cat still punched like he was under water.
What a stupid thing to do.
by SamCupitt on Nov 4, 2008 9:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
No one is perfect guys come on now – we don’t know what kind of pressure or stress he may have been under to make that decision. Let’s all respect the fact that he is not denying what he did and that he intends to make amends.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
by lovingmma25 on Nov 4, 2008 12:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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