Top 10 Times Fighters Got Caught Cheating
#10: Georges Saint-Pierre
Alright, so to be clear, this wasn’t Georges Saint-Pierre’s fault, but this is more so on his cornerman, Phil Nurse. In between rounds during his title fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 94, Nurse could be seen applying vaseline on GSP’s face and then his back, the latter of which is not permitted. Watching the fight, one could think that Penn clearly was experiencing some difficulty getting any hold or control over Saint-Pierre from the bottom. After losing the fight, Penn and his team requested that the Nevada State Athletic Commision conduct an investigation on the matter. Dubbed “Greasegate”, an investigation and hearing took place, but nothing came from either, as the commission came to the conclusion that the application of vaseline didn’t impact the outcome of the fight.
#9: Shane Mosley
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Back in 2007, a report from Sports Illustrated included several unnamed sources going on record saying that boxer Shane Mosley used performance enhancing drugs leading up to his fight against Oscar De La Hoya, which he won. In response, Mosley went on to admit that he indeed took steroids, but did so unknowingly (even though there’s footage of him stating otherwise). Mosley’s take is that he was told by his trainer, Darryl Hudson, to take supplements from Victor Conte, founder and head of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative. Hudson urged Mosley to take these supplements, which were steroids, which used under the pseudonyms “the cream” and “the clear”. Conte and several others however claimed that Mosley knew that he was taking steroids. Mosley launched a defamation suit against Conte and his company, which was dismissed.
#8: Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is considered one of the greatest to ever step into the octagon, but his legacy will forever be tainted because of this incident. After his unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz in 2015, it was revealed that Silva had tested positive for anabolic steroids during a random out of competition test which took place prior to the bout with Diaz, and then tested positive yet again during another test for an illegal substance. Silva denied having taken any performance enhancing drugs. His defense? That the samples for his test were tainted after using viagra. The Nevada State Athletic Commision didn’t buy it, and he was suspended a year, fined $380K and his win against Diaz was changed to a no-contest.
#7: Brock Lesnar
This pro-wrestler turned mma fighter certainly left his mark in the UFC, but his last fight will not be so fondly remembered. After taking an almost 5-year hiatus from the sport, Lesnar would make his anticipated return to the octagon at UFC 200 against Mark Hunt. Lesnar dominated the majority of the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory. However, it was revealed that Lesnar had failed two pre-fight drug tests and tested positive for clomiphene, an anti-estrogen agent that can raise testosterone levels and counter effects of steroid use. Prohibited by the UFC’s Anti-Doping policy, Lesnar was suspended a year and was slapped a fine of $250,000 (which he reportedly has yet to pay).
#6: Jake LaMotta
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LaMotta was a fan favorite in boxing, and is often best known for having been portrayed by actor Robert De Niro in the Martin Scorcese classic “Raging Bull”. What some people might not know about LaMotta however, was that he once threw away a match. Prior to facing Billy Fox in 1947, he cut a deal with the mafia where in exchange for purposefully losing the fight, they would set him up for a title shot. LaMotta did as he was told and took a dive in the fourth round. After an investigation into his victory, and when LaMotta would later admit wrongdoing, he was suspended indefinitely by the New York State Athletic Commision. And he only wound up getting his title shot 10 fights later.
#5: Mike Kyle
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Having earned himself a reputation as one of the dirtiest fighters of all time, Mike Kyle isn’t doing himself any favors. He’s done everything just about everything you shouldn’t do, but one moment is most often notoriously remembered. At WEC 20 back in 2006, Kyle threw an illegal soccer kick against his opponent Brian Olsen. Olsen was knocked out and to make matters even worse, he wouldn’t stop punching Olsen even though he was unconscious to the point where not 1, but 2 refs had to pull him off. He was immediately disqualified and suspended indefinitely.
#4: Antonio Margarito
Prior to his boxing match against the aforementioned Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito was getting his hands wrapped. Mosley’s trainer, Naazim Richardson, noticed a plaster-like substance being used over the fighter’s hands. Richardson requested that Margarito’s hands be rewrapped, and they were. Although Maragrito went on to lose the fight, a hearing was still held to deal with the matter which took place prior to the fight. Despite claiming ignorance, both Margarito and the trainer responsible for wrapping the fighter’s hands, Javier Capetillo, had their boxing licenses revoked for one year for the incident.
#3: T.J. Dillashaw
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Aiming to become the third person to become a champion in two weight divisions, UFC Bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw challenged then flyweight champion Henry Cejudo in a superfight back in 2019, which he lost the fight by TKO in just 30 seconds. But the worst was yet to come for Dillashaw. Months later, it was revealed that he tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin, also known as EPO, a hormone which increases red blood cell production in the body. While Dillashaw claimed the purpose for resorting to this tactic came after becoming anemic due to a drastic weight cut to 125 pounds, he was stripped of his title and accepted a 2 year ban from the sport of MMA, his legacy and reign in the bantamweight division forever tarnished.
#2: Vitor Belfort
This knockout artist was caught testing positive for the illegal substance 4-Hydroxytestosterone after his fight with Dan Henderson at Pride 32. Claiming he was unaware that the supplement he took contained the substance, he was still handed a 9-month suspension and fined $10,000. Although he’s been only caught once, this hasn’t stopped pundits from claiming Belfort has been using performance enhancing drugs throughout his entire career. Since the UFC banned the use of testosterone replacement therapy in 2014, many have pointed to Belfort’s change in physique. According to a report from Deadspin, a test for his fight against then light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 152 revealed he had high elevated levels of testosterone and that the UFC ignored it.The UFC has denied his claim.
#1: Luis Resto
On the night of June 16, 1983, boxers Billy Ray Collins and Luis Resto squared off at Madison Square Garden. For 10 rounds, they went back and forth, but Collins looked practically unrecognizable after having taken significant damage. When the match concluded, Resto went to shake the hands of Collins’ corner. One of the cornermen, who was Collins’ father, noticed something odd with Resto’s gloves. He realized there was a lack of padding, and it was later confirmed by a referee. The New York State Athletic Commission went on to suspend Resto and his trainer, Carlos Lewis, and both men even served prison sentences as well. Resto would never box again. Sadly, Billy Ray Collins eye was damaged beyond repair and was told he would never fight again, and would suffer from depression before he passed away in a car accident.
