The former UFC light heavyweight champion and now UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz recently lost his last career MMA fight against Forest Griffin at UFC 148. It wasn’t until after their much anticipated Trilogy bout that Griffin’s exemption for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) became public worldwide, very few people knew prior to their fight. Ortiz showed complete frustration over the fact that not only Griffin, but many fighters can somehow abuse the system in a way that it can “become an epidemic.”
From Tito Ortiz:
“Yes, that’s correct. I feel bad. This sport has gone so far in such a short amount of time. I hope this doesn’t become an epidemic, you know? What type of message are we trying to send to the youths that are watching our sport? If you’re doing performance enhancing drugs, this is the same thing we’ve been trying to stop from happening. All of a sudden, in the last six months, it’s legal to do? You’re allowed to be six times over an average? Since day one that I’ve been competing in the last 15 years, I’ve always been on an even field. Now other fighters can be on a higher [field], 6 times more than the average person. But I think we’re sending the wrong message to the fans and the kids that want to be UFC fighters or Mixed Martial Arts fighters.”
Ortiz didn’t hesitate to let Griffin know via Twitter how he felt about their fight:
@ForrestGriffin sorry to hear you had to use #steroids to beat me! Wait or try to beat me. @ForrestGriffin = #cheater lol. Have a good day!
What are your thoughts on TRT? Should we allow the exemption on fighters who really need it? Do you think fighters should enter the cage ONLY the traditional way which includes training and nutrition? Let your voices be heard…
