Minotauro and I were the only clean athletes in PRIDE, says Dan Henderson

Veteran Henderson fired against weak anti-doping supervision in MMA. Photo: Disclosure/UFC

At 44 years old, 15 of them dedicated to fighting, Dan Henderson He experienced different phases of the sport that is now known as MMA. The North American gained star status during his PRIDE days in Japan, winning the belt in the 84 and 93 kg divisions. Thus, “Hendo” has the right to talk about the evolution over the years of anti-doping inspection in MMA, a subject that is on the rise especially with the case involving Anderson Silva.

See too

For Wanderlei Silva, surprise anti-doping tests are 'against the Constitution'

Boxing coach reveals that Georges St. Pierre is 'itching' to fight again

Anderson Silva asks to compete in 2016 Olympics in taekwondo

In an interview reproduced by the North American website “MMA Junkie”, Henderson stated that the tests were precarious at the PRIDE events, which revealed to the world names like Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Mauritius Shogun, Among others.

“I had already asked about doping tests. They always did tests there, but it wasn't for that [performance-enhancing substances]. It was more for recreational drugs, like cocaine and others like that. They have already told me that I and [Rodrigo Minotauro] Nogueira, I think, we would be the only ones left if there were tests. Will you know what everyone else was doing at that time?”, commented the North American.

Precisely for this reason, Henderson celebrated the fact that the UFC has increased its supervision over prohibited substances, which should actually come into force in the second half of the year. “I've been saying this for years: They need to implement random, unannounced drug testing. This will clear everything up – maybe not everything, but it will stop guys from thinking about doing anything illegal. If you keep in mind that someone could knock on your door at any time and ask you to urinate in a cup, you won't take any chances. I always knew exactly when I would be tested. If I used banned substances, it wouldn't be a big problem. It's a shame that this took so long to happen, but I'm happy that they finally started doing it”, added the veteran, who will return to the Octagon against Tim Boetsch on June 6th.

[vox id=”29238″]

Fatal change? Makhachev ignores warning and could end tragically at welterweight!