Johnny Eblen and Gordon Ryan couldn’t have more opposing views when it comes to anti-doping in combat sports.
The Bellator middleweight champion took to X (formerly Twitter) this week to challenge and criticize Ryan’s recent comments on the UFC’s decision to drop USADA and work with a new company, Drug Free International, to run its athlete anti-doping program.
Ryan, a decorated grappler, implied in an Instagram post that if the UFC was to ease down on drug testing, it would be good for the sport since performing-enhancing drugs would make MMA more entertaining, and it would raise the level of competition.
“If the UFC ‘regresses’ back to the old days, this is amazing news,” Ryan wrote on Instagram. “… The higher the testosterone, the more physical the athletes are, the less prone to injury they are, the faster they recover, the longer they can compete, and the more entertaining and high paced they are. The better they look, the more attention they draw, the more money they make.”
Ryan would go on a lengthier elaboration on why less drug testing is a good thing for sports, a stance Eblen took issue with.
“Not that I’m trying to stir up any unwarranted drama, but Ryan just stated that MMA should allow athletes to be on steroids because it would supposedly make it more entertaining,” Eblen wrote on X.
“Hey bro, there’s a reason your health sucks, and it has a lot to do with you wanting to be an “entertainer.” Athletes are humans too, and there’s a life after fighting. Steroids and other performance enhancers destroy the possibility of a good functioning life as you age. You took that shit, and now you’re stuck, and you want to bring the rest of us down with you. I really hope MMA organizations can see an obvious set of liabilities that come from more brain damage and body damage when athletes retire.
“One thing is taking steroids when you grapple, and another is when you’re getting punched, kneed, elbowed and kicked in the face. It’s convenient you say this shit about steroids while you’re grappling but not fighting.
“How can you be considered the goat if in order to train you had to be on steroids? You’re telling me the guy on the right really would know what he knows about grappling had he not been on the sauce? Don’t get me wrong, dudes (is) amazing at what he does, but literally can’t do anything without steroids.”
Not that I’m trying to stir up any unwarranted drama, but gordan ryan just stated that MMA should allow athletes to be on steroids because it would supposedly make it more entertaining.
Hey bro, there’s a reason your health sucks and it has a lot to do with you wanting to be an… pic.twitter.com/6QAj5DiQJ0
— Johnny Eblen (@JohnnyEblen) October 17, 2023
Ryan has long been accused of steroid use by his critics, given his muscular physique and stance on steroid. He’s also had a long history of issues involving his gut health.
The grappling star has fluctuated a lot in weight and has experienced chronic nausea and other symptoms that have forced him out of several grappling competitions. Ryan attributes these issues to an overuse of antibiotics to treat infections such as staph and other common issues often experienced by grapplers.
