With PRIDE FC: FINAL CONFLICT fast approaching, speculations are running wild on who will take it all in the final rounds. We’d like your opinion on who will win and why. We’d also like to hear your opinions on whatever is on your mind regarding MMA … Thoughts on UFC 44 … Thoughts on upcoming Pride Middleweight Grand Prix … Thoughts on Tim Sylvia and the revelations regarding steroid use … Steroid use by MMA athletes: fair/unfair, good/bad, affects the outcome of bouts/gives no advantage?

The results of the survey and some of the commentary we receive may appear in the upcoming issue of FCF.

FCF:   Once again, congratulations on another stellar outing at UFC 44. I’d like to start by asking you about an interesting comment you made at the press conference following that fight. You said that in fighting Ortiz, he made you do a lot of things you didn’t want to do.
RC:     Besides the time I spent working on my bottom game, I was referring to the other area of pre-fight hype. Tito kind of brings a certain intensity and persona to the pre-fight hype and it’s not my style. It’s not what I like to do. It’s not how I like to represent myself or the sport. And he kind of forced me to stand up and do a few things that I’m uncharacteristically not used to doing — talking back a little bit and fortunately for me I didn’t have to make up a lot of what I felt. I pretty much said what I felt about the situation and was able to do that with conviction so that made it easier for me. Generally, I would have kept those thoughts and feelings to myself and just gone out and done my job.

FCF:   Jumping to the hot topic at hand, you stated at the press conference that you would gladly give Ortiz a rematch, but under a certain condition…
RC:     That’s correct. I’ll give him a rematch, but not until he fights Chuck Liddell.

FCF:   What if Liddell does less than favorably in PRIDE?
RC:     None of that matters. If Chuck wins PRIDE, then he’s going to get a rematch with me. That makes sense. He’ll hold the PRIDE belt and I’m holding the UFC belt in the light-heavyweight division; we should fight again and try to kinda unify those belts. If Chuck doesn’t do well in PRIDE, if he doesn’t get past Quinton [Jackson] or loses to Wanderlei [Silva], then it doesn’t really matter. He’s still a top contender in this weight class in the UFC and he and Tito should fight. Everybody wants to see that fight and Tito needs to answer that question.

In the complaint issued by Keith Kizer, Chief Deputy Attorney General and acting legal counsel for the NSAC, alleged violations included the use of the anabolic steroid Stanozolol Metabolite, a drug or injection that is not approved for use by the NSAC. More familiar by its street name, Winstrol, the drug is utilized to promote body tissue-building processes.

As part of standard procedure adopted after January 1, 2002, the NSAC began regular steroid testing in title fights for all its unarmed combat sports. For UFC 44, Sylvia, Gan McGee, Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture all went through the requisite steroid testing, as well as standard drug testing, which includes scans for marijuana, various foreign substances and masking agents. Sylvia’s urinalysis was the sole sample to come back positive for steroids. Kizer could not confirm if the other fourteen UFC 44 competitors that night were drug-tested as well.

Waiving his right to answer these allegations within 20 days of notice, Sylvia’s management has already verbally communicated, with Kizer, the champion’s admission to the charges filed in the complaint. Sylvia and his camp also issued a public statement on October 7th stating such. In response, the champion has been asked to appear before the NSAC’s five-member board, chaired by Luther Mack, at a previously scheduled October 15th meeting. Since Sylvia has already acknowledged his wrongdoing, the meeting will most likely move into the NSAC’s disciplinary phase. "I assume that’s how it will go," stated Kizer, "unless he changes his mind [referring to Sylvia’s admittance of guilt]. For better lack of the term, Sylvia will have to ‘throw himself on the mercy of the court’ and give reasons, if he can, as to why they should be lenient." Marc Ratner, the Executive Director of the NSAC, will present the evidence relevant to the case at the proceedings, with Kizer there to assist him. Monte Cox, Sylvia’s manager, will also be in attendance, along with representatives of Zuffa Sports Entertainment, the promoters of the UFC. At this time, Sylvia is not planning on using legal counsel. (If for some reason Sylvia fails to attend these hearings, a decision can still be reached in his absence.)

Once under disciplinary consideration, Sylvia’s license to fight in Nevada could be suspended for any given period of time deemed appropriate by the Commission, including permanent suspension or revocation of license. The least severe response would be to give Sylvia a warning. In lieu of or in addition to the suspension or revocation of his license, the NSAC can also administer a penalty not to exceed $250,000 or 100% of Sylvia’s fighting purse, whichever is greater. Sylvia received a purse of $30,000 to fight McGee and a bonus of $30,000 for his win. In the written complaint, obtained by FCF, recommendations issued on behalf of the Executive Director included both a monetary fine and action taken on Sylvia’s license.