In a passionate statement that has resonated throughout the mixed martial arts community, interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall has voiced his uncompromising position on PEDs in combat sports.
“If your job is to hurt another person physically, which could potentially redirect the rest of their life post-fighting, you’re an absolute piece of sh*t, and you should never be able to fight again if you have any PED stuff,”
Aspinall declared in a recent interview.
The British heavyweight champion drew a stark contrast between PED use in non-combat sports versus fighting disciplines. He explained that while cheating in events like sprinting primarily affects competition results, using performance enhancers in combat sports could have life-altering consequences for opponents.
“If you’re a sprinter, for example, you do 100 metres, and you take PEDs, and you win a race, you become faster than people who are not taking PEDs from that. That’s okay. You’re a cheat, you’ve won, they’ll take your title off you or whatever,”
Aspinall explained.
He then emphasized the fundamental difference:
“It’s like taking a gun to a knife fight. How can you look yourself in the mirror when you know that you’re cheating? And you could potentially damage the other person for life. It’s disgusting.”
Aspinall acknowledged that contaminated supplements can sometimes lead to failed tests, suggesting some leniency for first-time offenders whose cases are investigated and cleared. However, he took a much harder line on repeat offenders.
“If you’re talking two, three, four, five times, and they’re still letting you fight in a promotion, you’re a pretty sick individual, in my opinion. It shouldn’t be allowed,”
he stated.
This isn’t the first time Aspinall has addressed PED use in MMA. In a December 2024 interview with Piers Morgan, he specifically discussed UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, who has had multiple positive tests throughout his career.
“Let me start by saying Jon is absolutely elite, and I completely agree with the notion that he’s one of the best fighters ever,”
Aspinall said.
“Potentially [the greatest], but the way that I look at is he has failed a couple of tests. To me, that rules you out of being the best of all time.”
Aspinall‘s stance reflects growing concerns within combat sports about the ethical implications of PED use and appropriate penalties for those who test positive in a sport where the primary objective is to physically dominate an opponent.
