So I've been thinking, do 6 month suspensions even mean anything? Especially inside the UFC? I mean when NSAC or CSAC issue a suspension like that is it basically just a slap on the wrist? I mean 90% of the time most UFC fighters don't even have a fight materialize within 6 months of their last fight. Is it just a mundane warning saying don't do that again?
I would agree, although a few fighters have come back and fought within a few months of their previous fights. Maybe it's more of a "shame" game than an actual suspension.
It's more of a warning than a joke. If they get caught again they get a full year, so I wouldn't call it a joke. There should be harsher penalties for cheatIng tho. 6 months is not enough.
I think it's more to show that they have a penalty for fighters who break the rules without hurting the industry.
^^^This. Over the past 4-5 years it sure seems as if not many UFC fighters are getting more than 2 fights a year. If the sanctioning bodies really wanted to add teeth to 6 month suspensions the fines would increase (maybe even fine the promoter in order for them to take it more seriously) and put a training with a team ban for half the suspension time.
6 months seems to be the norm for first time offenses like weed. Roids tend to at least go for 9 months.
90% of the time Sherdoggers pull stats completely out of their asses. I chose a random UFC event (UFC 134), and 14 out of 24 fighters on the card did not have a fight within 6 months of that card. Majority, yes, but 90 percent? At least TRY to sound plausible! Of course, I only checked one card at random, so feel free to prove me wrong. I'm 90% certain that i did more research on that stat that you did, though. Now, on topic: What's wrong with a 6 month suspension? Think of it like a one-game suspension in football. You don't have to completely derail someone's career to adequately punish them. Overeem fans/nuthuggers will tell you that he never actually got caught with a banned substance in his body, so losing one fight probably seems right to them.
My thought is not to punish MMA fighters more than any other sport...even if the punishment doesn't have "teeth."
It only hurts the small time fighters who fight more frequently. That suspension doesn't mean anything to someone who only fights twice a year.
A six month suspension is barely a punishment at all, but I'm guessing the guys that get that punishment are first time offenders who also admit to the usage and make a deal instead of trying to fight it like Overeem, Sonnen, and Diaz did. Some guys fight three or four times a year but the majority of the upper tier only seem to fight twice or sometimes even once a year. If it's something like pot or Xanax than I think even six months is too much. PEDs should be a year minimum for a first time offender and two years every time after that.
There's a big difference between juicing to win a race or score more points and juicing to help you beat the hell out of another person.
I agree. Unless the consequences strike fear into the person who is cheating there really isn't any reason for them to stop.
Team sports usually suspend athletes for a specific number of games/events and since they have a set schedule the suspension can have a big impact compared to mma & boxing suspensions. Most other individual sports follow the IOC rules which are much tougher, generally a 1 or 2 year suspension.
