5 MMA fighters who fought intoxicated
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has come a long way since the dark ages of top organisations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pride FC, in the 1990s.
Today, top organisations such as the UFC, WSOF and others employ strict drug testing protocols, with the UFC going as far as employing the services of USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) in a bid to clean up the sport; getting rid of drug-abusing MMA competitors.
Nevertheless, no amount of drug testing seems to stop a select group of routine drug-test flunkers. Similarly, it’s not uncommon for fighters to enter the MMA ring/cage whilst under the influence of a recreational drug or performance-enhancing mental/physical stimulants.
Today we take a brief look at a few such MMA stars that competed inside the cage, while intoxicated:
#5 Jessica Eye
Jessica ‘Evil’ Eye (11-6) is presently on a terrible losing streak inside the Octagon, however, that wasn’t the case when she first debuted in the UFC.
The Ohio native brought a 10-1 record into the Octagon, with her first fight in the UFC being against MMA veteran Sarah Kauffman. Now although the matchup itself saw the judges award Eye a split-decision win in what was ultimately a lacklustre fight, what happened after was more intriguing.
A few days after the fight, news broke out that ‘Evil’ had failed a drug test for her aforementioned UFC 166 bout in 2013, with it later being revealed that the drug found in her system was cannabinoids (marijuana metabolites).
The story that Eye provided was one for the ages.
Also read: 5 Times MMA coaches were to blame for a fighter's downfall
Her failed drug test resulted in her making her personal differences with her father public, in a no-holds-barred series of accounts over the following couple of weeks. She stated that her father, with whom she and her brothers always had a strained relationship; was with her at a friend-and-family get-together before her fight against Kaufman.
He and his friends had been drinking and after a while started smoking pot as well and with Eye sitting right beside them; she said that this was how the pot got into her system. The result- a failed drug test for marijuana and an unnecessary media circus that followed.
Nevertheless, one cannot deny the fact that Eye fought under the influence of the Mary Jane in her UFC debut. One to remember indeed! Up next, fighters submitting animal urine, stimulants, and much more.