G. Tibau (photo) was the target of McInnes' accusations. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
In the last week, four major cases of athletes caught doing anti-doping (Anderson Silva, Nick Diaz, Jon Fitch and Hector Lombard) brought the discussion of drugs in sport to the surface again. Furthermore, a scenario of distrust was established, casting doubt even on the behavior of athletes who never tested positive. That was the case with WSOF lightweight Andrew McInnes. When commenting on the use of illegal substances to improve performance in MMA, the Canadian made serious accusations against Brazilian Gleison Tibau, the third athlete with the most fights in UFC history.
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“The only person who is really great and has longevity in the sport is Gleison Tibau, and he is a rare exception. He has been in the UFC for a long time and is a clear case of an athlete who uses performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). I guarantee you, his urine glows in the dark. I've been to every gym on this planet and it's 100% awesome. The only person I can tell you for sure who doesn't use doping is (UFC fighter and fellow Canadian) Mitch Clark. I'm sure there are others, but they are very few”, declared McInnes, in an interview with the North American website “Bloody Elbow”.
In a statement sent to SUPER FIGHTS, Tibau responded to McInnes' statements: “Honestly, I don’t know him. My lack of knowledge about him is personal and professional, as I have never watched or heard of his fights. So, I checked on the internet about him, and I saw that he has had a short career in MMA. In my entire life as a fighter, I have had more doping tests for the UFC than it has for professional fights,” he said. “In total, there are 43 professional fights, and in none of them was I caught for doping or was I above the weight limit for my category, currently lightweight (with a weight limit of up to 70,3kg).”
The Canadian, who faces Cody McKenzie this Thursday (12) at WSOF 18, also commented on the case of athletes who become spokespersons for the fight against doping and cited the recent case of Jon Fitch, who was recently caught after years being one of the biggest critics of such practice, to justify his disbelief in this type of engagement. “It’s all sh*t. Just look at Jon Fitch. He says he's a vegan, and the whole time he's been saying this he's had a needle hanging out of his ass. Everyone is doped up, and everyone who goes around saying the same thing about it in public is talking s**t… Except me,” he added.
At 31 years old, Gleison Tibau has a professional record of 31 wins and ten losses. Currently, the Brazilian is, alongside Randy Couture, the third athlete with the most fights in the history of Ultimate, with 24 appearances in the Octagon. Tibau, however, already has a date set to move up to second place in the ranking, as he faces Tony Ferguson on February 28th, in Los Angeles, at UFC 184.
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