July 30, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Steroids in MMA, WWE Great American Bash review
A war of words, where personalities may obfuscate the very serious underlying issue, has taken center stage in MMA this past week. And it has eerie similarities to what is also going on at the same time in pro wrestling.
The steroid test failures of Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca, and subsequent one-year suspensions, from tests taken on 7/7, the day of their lightweight title fight in Sacramento, have put the microscope on the hot button issue of steroids in MMA and what can be done about them. This comes just a month after Royce Gracie and former NFL star Johnnie Morton tested positive and a few weeks after Phil Baroni tested positive. In all, there have been 11 steroid test positives over the past 14-week period in California alone, the state with the most vigilant testing in the country.
The steroid issues in pro wrestling and MMA is very different, even though the tragedies in pro wrestling caused by pain killers and steroids may very well be a harbinger of the future of MMA if not left unchecked.
Subscribers can read this issue here.
Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.