Ken Shamrock: Fighters should be allowed to use PEDs 'at a safe level', because 'it does help'

After UFC superstar Jon Jones has been scratched from the historic UFC 200 card due to a possible anti-doping violation last week, Hall-of-Famer and UFC 1 veteran Ken Shamrock has a very interesting take on the situation.

"I think it's pretty clear," he said during the latest episode of Inside MMA (Transcription via MMAFighting.com). "I've taken a stance on it. My stance has always been upfront that this needs to be regulated. It needs to be a point where guys can use it at a safe level, because it does help. It does help in your health, and it does help in your recovery."

Shamrock has been busted for performance-enhancing drugs himself on two separate occasions in the past. Once in 2009 and a second time after his fight with Royce Gracie at Bellator 149 in February. What he criticizes the most in the Jones situation, is the attitude of the UFC brass, that -- according to Shamrock -- perfectly knows what is going on in the gyms and locker rooms of their talent, but is acting surprised every time one of their fighters pops for something illegal.

"I just don't see how they're gonna stop something that they've allowed to happen for so long," Shamrock said. "I think my biggest anger with this is that it seems like everybody wants you to believe that their heads were stuck in the sand when all this was going on and then when something like this happens, their heads pop up out of the sand and they go, ‘Oh my gosh I can't believe that happened! How dare you! You're such a bad person! I'm so angry at you!' And the reality of it is that everybody knows it's going on in almost every sport across the United States."

Jon Jones has tested positive for reportedly two different substances in a random, out-of-competition drug test in June. He denied having cheated on purpose, and blamed a tainted supplement for the test result. Jones and his team plan to file an appeal.