With her high-profile victory over Gina Carano this past weekend, newly crowned Strikeforce 145-pound women's champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos will now experience scrutiny like never before.
However, that type of attention almost always leads to speculation the Brazilian striker may be using performance-enhancing drugs.
In his latest "Ask the Doc" column, MMAjunkie.com medical columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin answers a reader's question about the topic while also cautioning why seemingly harmless speculation can have such a negative impact on the sport.
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Hey Doc: It's out there so, why don't you address it? Do you think Cris "Cyborg" Santos is on steroids, growth hormone or other performance-enhancing drugs? – Anonymous
I know better, but I will give you my two cents on this subject.
I think that this question sheds light on three controversial issues in MMA: the prevalence of performance-enhancing-drug (PED) use, fighter bashing when your favorite fighter loses, and malicious or inappropriate comments directed toward female athletes.
I have absolutely no reason to believe or suspect Cris Santos of being anything other than a superb athlete, a fearless warrior, a champion and a great ambassador for MMA. She has been tested for performance-enhancing drugs in the U.S. many times, and to my knowledge, has never failed a screen.
It disappoints me when some vocal people in cyberspace hide behind a pseudonym and make malicious and baseless attacks against athletes that have never failed a screen for banned substances. These keyboard toxicologists think that they can merely look at an athlete and "know" that so-and-so is a "juicer." There is a term for that. It's called "delusions of grandeur," and medication may help.
Do I think that (for reasons that have nothing to do with Santos) it is time to start testing blood instead of urine? Absolutely.
Do I think that Santos should be ridiculed for putting in countless hours of hard work and being superbly fit? Absolutely NOT.
Fighter bashing is just weak. Your favorite fighter lost. Get over it. He or she shook hands with the victor and is not whining. But you are. How pathetic. One of the things that I love about MMA is that a good loss does not hurt a fighter.
Remember that this is MMA and not professional boxing. An MMA fighter with a 13-3 record can be a legitimate world champion or challenger – unlike boxing, where a fighter with a 13-3 record is generally viewed as garbage. For this reason, MMA fighters don't need to pad their records with tomato cans.
Many readers think that I am against women participating in combat sports. They couldn't be more wrong. I have no problem with it. I just think that currently many of the fights that I have seen are not that good. Again, it's just my opinion.
But by any reasonable standard, Santos is an excellent fighter, and Gina Carano is a good fighter. Gender has nothing to do with it.
I am appalled at the seemingly endless references to what a female athlete looks like and worse yet what sexual act some fool wants to perform on her or vice versa.
As someone who's been part of the legislative process recently, I know this and many other types of malicious commentary are the very ammunition that detractors of MMA use to wage their anti-legalization war. So, while some pitiful individuals are out there typing away spreading their filth and venom, other MMA fans should begin to realize why it is so hard to legalize MMA in some key states and countries.
And needlessly bashing a gifted and hard-working athlete such as Santos – with no proof of anything except her dominant fighting skills and a well-conditioned body – is a big reason why.
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