In a recent interview on Theo Von’s podcast, UFC legend Georges St-Pierre (GSP) shed light on the concerning issue of PED use in the sport. The Canadian great, known for his unwavering commitment to fair play, expressed his concerns about the current measures employed by the promotion.
According to GSP, the existing testing methods are not comprehensive enough to detect certain PEDs that can provide significant advantages without altering the fighter’s physical appearance. He revealed that some athletes have been using stuff like EPO, which can dramatically improve endurance without noticeable muscle growth.
“Sometime, it’s not even you cannot notice it physically because certain drug, like for example, like EPO will give you a crazy stamina, but not really changes you physically,” GSP said. “There’s stuff that… people talk, you know who’s who. It’s just at the time it was insane, and I’m glad UFC did this. I didn’t wanna bring UFC down, that was not my intent when I did this. I wanted to elevate the sport, and I’m glad they did it. I think it elevated the sport.”
The former welterweight champion also addressed the UFC’s recent split from the USADA, expressing hope that the promotion’s new anti-doping partner, DFSU, will be truly independent and free from any potential conflicts of interest.
“They’re not with USADA anymore, but I think they hire another organization to do the tests now. But I do believe that if you want to avoid corruption, it needs to be a separated entity that do the test than the organization itself. If the organization has power in their testing, it’s corrupt,” GSP emphasized.
GSP’s stance on PED use is likely influenced by his own experiences fighting opponents who have tested positive for banned PEDs. One such example is former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk, who faced GSP in the past and later tested positive for nandrolone, a PED. Whether Sherk was using PEDs during their bout is unknown, but GSP was able to TKO him within two rounds.
