r/MMA                              Hey all,With PED detection efforts being at an all-time high under USADA regulation, I think it's a good time to discuss historical PED use in MMA and how much of a black mark (if any) that it causes in your eyes when looking back at fighter's careers (whether the known PED use is from a positive failed test or just glaringly obvious abuse). For purposes of this discussion I've divided the short history of MMA into 5 different categories of competition based on testing efforts:- Early UFC days (1993 - 2002). Although no PED tests were taking place at this time, as the sport was becoming regulated under local athletic commissions PED use was banned as a matter of policy.- PRIDE era (1997 - 2007). Overlapping with some of the UFC categories below but important to include. No PED tests (with the exception of the 2 Las Vegas events), and in fact PED use was encouraged.- Early UFC modernization (2002 - 2009) The first PED tests and failures took place in 2002 and random fight night sampling was becoming commonplace. Suspensions were commonly 6 months to 1 year.- Pre-modern UFC (2009 - 2015) The first random tests and failures for upcoming scheduled fights took place in 2009, and this practice was taken up by many commissions. Almost all athletic commissions have adopted fight-night testing and the UFC was performing testing for events with no athletic commissions. Suspensions were typically 9 months to 1.5 years.- Modern UFC (2015 - present) The UFC partnered with USADA to implement a robust year-round random testing program for all fighters, including out-of-competition tests. Suspensions vary based on many factors including potency of the PED detected, amount detected, intent (or lack thereof), and if the fighter is a repeat offender. Suspension for a standard PED without proof of being accidental for a first time offender is typically 2 years, but suspension length has varied from 3 months to a lifetime ban.I've divided by era above for purposes of including the risk/reward factor of a fighter using PEDs during each time period as I believe this is a very relevant factor (though it may not be in some of your eyes). Give me your thoughts on PED use and how much this discredits fighters' accomplishments, any and all input is appreciated!Fun fact Josh Barnett was the first fighter to fail an in-competition test (2002) *and* the first to fail a random pre-fight test (2009) which led to the cancellation of his fight with Fedor and the collapse of Affliction.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thyhorrorcosmic/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thyhorrorcosmic/support