UFC middleweight Brendan Allen has never been one to shy away from controversial takes, and his recent comments on PEDs in sports are no exception. During an episode with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, he floated a provocative idea: instead of trying to catch cheaters, why not just let everyone use PEDs and level the playing field?
The conversation emerged organically as Allen discussed the challenges competitors face with d**g testing protocols and weight cutting.
He pointed out the absurdity of random testing that doesn’t include both fighters, noting instances where one competitor gets tested while their opponent—who may have weighed significantly more on fight night—escapes scrutiny entirely.
“Let’s just let everyone juice,” Allen suggested. “If you want to juice, just everyone juice. Let’s make it an even playing field instead of let’s try to catch who’s not or let’s catch who’s juicing.”
Allen, reflecting on his own experiences, admitted his perspective had evolved over time. Early in his career, he wanted to prove himself as a natural athlete, but as he witnessed the realities of the sport, his stance softened.
When Rogan pressed him with the hypothetical—“Would you, if they just opened the gates?”—Allen didn’t hesitate.
He admitted that his stance had shifted as he matured in the sport. What once felt like a matter of pride and purity now looked, to him, like a system riddled with loopholes where staying “natural” didn’t guarantee a fair match.
Allen said: “Okay. I’ll start it off by saying yes. When I was younger, I was like, ‘No, I never juice. I want to be all natural to show everything like to show I’m just that good.’ Then I was like, as I got older and seen it, I was like, ‘Nah, I would.'”
The UFC’s partnership with USADA (now replaced by a new testing organization) has caught numerous high-profile athletes, yet skepticism remains about whether testing truly levels the playing field or simply penalizes those who can’t afford better chemists.
