Georges St-Pierre made the unbelievable claim that anabolic steroids are responsible for throwing kicks in mixed martial arts (MMA). According to St-Pierre’s logic, if an MMA athlete could have thrown kicks like that without steroids, he would not have needed to use the performane-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in the first place.
St-Pierre seemed to suggest that steroids create champions rather than the generally accepted belief that steroids make chanpions better. St-Pierre expounded on this argument in comments shared with Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting on September 30, 2018.
“Look, I remember there was a fight between two opponents, and one guy said, ‘Oh, it’s not the performance-enhancing (drugs) that threw the kick. It’s me,’” St-Pierre said. “Actually, it’s not true. That’s the performance-enhancing drugs that threw the kick, because you wouldn’t have thrown the kick (like that) if you would have not taken them. You know what I mean? So to give you an example, it makes you more creative. It makes you more hungry. It changes the physique.
Most athletes refute the idea that the use of steroids and PEDs can bestow talent and ability on the user. They believe that an athlete must possess the talent and skills to succeed in the sport if they have any chance of becoming an elite competitor. Without the talent and ability, no amount of steroids will make a difference. Steroids can only improve recuperation and recovery thereby enhancing strength and power.
St-Pierre, on the other hand, suggested that the effects of steroids go far beyond simply increasing recuperation and “strength and conditioning”. St-Pierre claimed steroids “changes the mind” and makes athletes more “creative” and “hungry”
“Also, not only the physique, it changes the mind of the person. So with people, they think it’s only affecting strength and conditioning and stuff like that. No, it doesn’t. It’s not only recuperation, it changes the person entirely. It makes him a better athlete.”
St-Pierre’s assertion that steroids make athletes more talented is part of his attempt to disqualify MMA athletes guilty of doping from greatest-of-all-time discussions. Unfortunately, St-Pierre’s comments are extremely self-serving given his desire to be considered the GOAT while dismissing other possibly more talented MMA athletes like Jon Jones.
Georges St-Pierre believes fighters with PED pasts should be ‘removed’ from GOAT discussions (@shaunalshatti) https://t.co/lRwMMxQ6nY pic.twitter.com/1vOPLs5YD5
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) September 30, 2018