Sherk Tests Positive for steroids!

**ColdFX** · July 19th, 2007, 02:49 PM

Sean Sherk AND Hermes Franca have both tested positive for steroids following their recent matchup...

Sean Sherk, the reigning UFC World Lightweight Champion, who last competed on July 7, 2007 in Sacramento, has tested positive for Nandrolone Metabolite. He has been fined $2,500. His suspension period runs from the conclusion of his bout on July 7, 2007 through the remainder of his licensing year which is June 26, 2008. Furthermore, he has been assessed an additional 10 days in order to fulfill the terms of his suspension (365 total days). The additional days will be added at the beginning of his next licensing year when he reapplies.

Normal levels of Nandrolone range from 2 ng/mL (average person) to 6 ng/mL (athlete engaged in rigorous activity). Mr. Sherk's reported level certified by the Director of Science and Technology from the laboratory that conducted the tests was 12 ng/mL. Both the "A" sample and "B" sample were tested and confirmed as positive.

Franca:
This statement was provided to MMAWeekly on behalf of Hermes Franca to address the positive drug test as found by the California State Athletic Commission after his bout with Sean Sherk at UFC 73:

In the next few days, the results from the California Commission will be released. The tests will show that I had a "banned substance" in my system.

I would like to apologize to my fans, the UFC, my students and family. I offer only an explanation and not an excuse. I made a decision during a difficult time in my training for the fight that I regret.

About 8 weeks out from the fight, I badly injured my ankle during a training session. For the following week I had rested it, rehabbed it and tried to work around the injury. It was obvious that I could not train as required.

I contacted the UFC and explained my injury and how I could not possibly train to the level I thought I would need in order to be properly prepared for my fight. I asked the UFC if we could push the fight out to the following UFC with the chance that it could happen. They explained that they could not do that and that the card had been set and it isnt as easy as just moving around a fight. I totally understood their position. They asked me to keep them informed should I not be able to fight.

I had not fought for 5 months. Fighting is literally how I put food on my wife and childs table and how I pay my bills. As a fighter though, even at this level, I live a simple life and I literally live from fight to fight. Not getting a paycheck for another few months and losing my chance to fight Sean for the title was overpowering. Fighting is the life I chose and I love it.

As a lightweight fighter, our purses are comparatively
small. The public sees the payouts. As lightweights, we do not pull down the money anything near the bigger guys. Its just the way it is. I think Sean fought and defended his title for less than $30,000. Its no ones fault, its just the market. I love the sport, I love the people in the
sport.

At this point I was desperate and needed anything I could to get my injury as close to healing as possible and be able to recover from the daily training regimen I was going through. I made the shortsighted choice to hopefully accelerate the healing process and allow me to keep training. Under the pressure of literally not being able to pay next months bills I made a choice. I had to fight and did whatever I could to do so.

I hope my fans, students, the UFC and the public accept my
sincere apology. Whatever punishment is dictated by the California Athletic Commission I will understand. I would like to get through this very difficult time and the times ahead and get back to fighting. All the best to my fans and much thanks to my family and friends that continue to support me during these times.

Hermes Franca

**Franca tested positive to Drostanolone. He has been fined $2500 and suspended through his licensing year which is July 5, 2008.

**mooshue** · July 19th, 2007, 03:59 PM

dont these guys and their trainers research the half life of products before they decide to take them knowing they will be tested?

**torofuerte** · July 19th, 2007, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooshue

dont these guys and their trainers research the half life of products before they decide to take them knowing they will be tested?

You beat me to it. That is a good, good question indeed... shit, I'm actually curious.

In the case of Francas, supposedly he took (at least) Drostanolone 8 weeks prior to the fight? How long should he had taken it to minimize detection????

pumpingiron · July 19th, 2007, 04:41 PM

I wonder about Sherk's test, since 6 ng/mL doesn't seem terribly elevated and exercise and supplements can elevate Nandrolone to some extent. Royce had around 50 ng/mL according to his test, which strikes me as a lot more damning than 6 ng/mL. I'm not saying he's innocent, just that his denials would be more believable than other fighters.

As for Franca, props for accepting responsibility and moving on.

**PowerHouse** · July 19th, 2007, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpingiron

I wonder about Sherk's test, since 6 ng/mL doesn't seem terribly elevated and exercise and supplements can elevate Nandrolone to some extent. Royce had around 50 ng/mL according to his test, which strikes me as a lot more damning than 6 ng/mL. I'm not saying he's innocent, just that his denials would be more believable than other fighters.

As for Franca, props for accepting responsibility and moving on.

He tested at 12 ng/mL. 6 ng/mL was an "athlete engaged in rigorous activity".

**mooshue** · July 19th, 2007, 05:26 PM

whats even more fucked up is that franca probably went and got a script for it like most athletes do when they need help recovering from an injury and now hes fucked.

**TheManWhoCan** · July 20th, 2007, 11:33 AM

Duh.

Hermes I'm surprised, but Sherk, c'mon.

**mooshue** · July 20th, 2007, 12:59 PM

i hear ya, this is like the worst possible time for the UFC to have this happen too. They finally got the division back on its feet again, after the latest ultimate fighter publicity its starting to get momentum and now bam, the champ is out for a year, probably permanently, for testing for a banned substance. This on top of all the crap press thats out now due to dipshits like Benoit and steroids, its nothing but bad for the lightweight ufc fans.

**mavgrad99** · July 20th, 2007, 03:47 PM

and somehow Im NOT at all surprised by this news, UFC is a bunch of roided up freaks anyhow.

**torofuerte** · July 20th, 2007, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mavgrad99

and somehow Im NOT at all surprised by this news, UFC is a bunch of roided up freaks anyhow.

And this is all based on your professional, educated and unbiased personal experience meeting and talking to MMA fighters, schools and coaches. Gotcha.

**mavgrad99** · July 21st, 2007, 08:47 PM

no fuck-o, this is based on my uneducated, no nonsense approach to how everyone in every sport is a damn cheating bastard lately. aint it time for your next stack anyway? get r dun!

Pro_Khan · July 23rd, 2007, 10:51 PM

OK. Maybe I'm missing something. I know steroids promote muscle development, but it seems that MMA, with its strict adherence to weight classes, would limit the usefulness of 'roids.

If you're a welterweight, let's say, and you want to bulk up, you don't necessarily get an advantage over other welterweights. It seems like you'd outgrow your weight class, and wind up as a middleweight.

Like I said, I'm probably mssing something.

**ItalianStallion** · July 23rd, 2007, 11:51 PM

i think its horrible to see athletes get banned for steroids...in ne sport...but we have to look at this "steroid" as not rly a weight gainin supplement but the banned substance is sumtin do maybe fix an injury or gain endurance...who rly knows, sry not a medicine major but i will find out....that bein said:
sherk has been training vigoursly n has been shown to be one the best conditioned athletes inawhile...his work out routine is insane if u watched it on spike, so to see he tested positive for honestly "cheatin"...is just sad n it pissed me off....now on to franca, he took a banned substance to be healthy enough to fight that nite...its a shitty situation to b in im sure of, but if its against the rules u just cant do it period....until its off the list of banned substances its illegal...i look at it this way franca was in a situation where he knew he couldnt train to contend for title wit his injury...so he made a choice where he takes banned substance,fights that nite makes around $20k...gets fined 2500 n banned for a year...then goes n fights in other mma events, ie...bodog/elitexc/cage rage/cage fighting fury/ etc....so he makes the pay day gets out of ufc n doesnt lose the money for not fighting...o well they get wat they deserve..i wish i hear sherk sayin sumtin bout it..havent heard him "feel sorry" or debate the wrong status...

**ItalianStallion** · July 24th, 2007, 12:04 AM

from wikipedia:
Nandrolone Metabolite is an anabolic steroid that occurs natuarally in the body. Positive effects =muscle growth, appetite stimulation and increase red blood cell production. It also states that recently there has been somewhat of controversy in which it says that high levels could be contributed to a high protein diet utilizing the use of creatine and hard cardiovascular regime.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandrolone
so it might not be entirely possbile that he "cheated" n it is a false report because he might just be a freak...but then again who knos...o well just providing sum facts

**pliny_2001** · July 24th, 2007, 09:05 AM

1) Can't say I'm particularly surprised about either of them, or (like mavgrad said, but not quite as knee-jerk) if it applied to alot more of UFC then just the two of them.

2) I'm surprised that people are giving Sherk props for owning up to it, or saying that they feel sorry for his situation. How's this instead: He didn't own up to it, HE WAS CAUGHT. Owning up would be stopping the fight b/c he thought that he had an unfair chemical advantage. Owning up would be saying that AAS use is so widespread that he felt to had to use to compete, and that a wide-spread testing regimen would back him up.* Owning up would be taking responsibility. Sherk was caught and then issued a statement about how he had to cheat so he could put food on the table, etc. You can work at Wal-Mart and put food on the table.

Now, I'll applaud UFC's testing - if baseball and football had the balls to do it, I think that there'd be teams that would be unable to field a squad. But UFC's got to hand down some major sanctions if they want to keep being taken seriously.

*It kind of does - almost 25% of that night's card had tested positive for steroids in their career.

**PowerHouse** · July 24th, 2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItalianStallion

so it might not be entirely possbile that he "cheated" n it is a false report because he might just be a freak...but then again who knos...o well just providing sum facts

Like I said earlier testing 12 mg/nL is twice the limit of an "athlete engaged in rigorous activity". If it was around 6 mg/nL then maybe. 2mg/nL is suppose to be for a normal person(which is pretty generous IMO). And remember this isn't the first time Sherk was caught for testing positive on steriods(his fight with matt hughes).

The sooner Sherk owns up to it the better it will be for him.

**ItalianStallion** · July 25th, 2007, 02:52 AM

its a damn shame...i didnt kno he tested positive be4...2 times? cmon rly these guys r gettin worse n worse

**TheManWhoCan** · July 25th, 2007, 12:10 PM

^ Agreed. What ever happened to being smart to win fights?

**pliny_2001** · July 25th, 2007, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheManWhoCan

^ Agreed. What ever happened to being smart to win fights?

Like another discussion that was going on - UFC isn't the "sweet science." It's a bunch of disciplines tossed together where the better fighter wins (and fun to watch, don't get me wrong - I love MMA). But in boxing (for instance) the smarter fighter has the advantage. This just appears to be 2 guys who wanted it at any cost, and then compounded it by methods that seem to be pretty easy to catch. So there probably wasn't a surplus of 'smart' running around in the ring.

Pro_Khan · July 27th, 2007, 12:07 PM

If you're shooting the steroids, wouldn't you run a significant risk of outgrowing your current weight class? Steroids make you bigger and stronger.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItalianStallion

from wikipedia:
Nandrolone Metabolite is an anabolic steroid that occurs natuarally in the body. Positive effects =muscle growth, appetite stimulation and increase red blood cell production. It also states that recently there has been somewhat of controversy in which it says that high levels could be contributed to a high protein diet utilizing the use of creatine and hard cardiovascular regime.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandrolone
so it might not be entirely possbile that he "cheated" n it is a false report because he might just be a freak...but then again who knos...o well just providing sum facts

Stallion's quote seems to lend creedence to that. Bulding muscle, eating more....sounds like a good way to go up to the next weight, not stay in your current weight.