USADA has made it's fair share of headlines lately, both positive and negative. However, with the recent dirt coming from Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovis is true, it paints USADA in a poor light.
In a recent interview with Vijesti, the former K-1 Grand Prix champion tells of a time where he got busted for HGH and was offered a way out of a suspension by USADA. This was back in November when he was injured in camp in preparation for a fight against Anthony Hamilton. (Transcript courtesy of Justin Golightly at MiddleEasy)
?The doctor gave me medical report, and in USADA rules it states ? if there is no alternative, using growth hormone for medical reasons is allowed if we consult with them. I didn?t consult with them. I then contacted a UFC representative and told them what happened. He said everything is alright, and that ? even though I didn?t ask for permission ? there will be no problem. I sent him an email because he asked for it, and this is where I naively fell for it. USADA called me and they told me my confession was a commendable act. I didn?t understand anything. My e-mail was forwarded to USADA and they used it as my confession. They gave me 2 year suspension because I was ?fair?. They misused it, they needed a big name to show they are in control, and this is where they used me. I got sickened by all of this. My shoulder hurt, its function was questionable and now this? It boiled over for me, my mother was crying, people were having their sweet time with it, they were tarnishing my career," CroCop.
According to CroCop, USADA went the "Deep Cover" approach to his Snoop Dogg, and offered to pull his suspension if he were to inform them of other potential violators.
?In the end they offered me to revoke my suspension If I snitch another fighter," Mirko said. "I couldn?t believe that they were humiliating me in this matter. I have my own gym, I don?t know what people use and even If I knew it ? I wouldn?t tell them. I told them that they can stop me from fighting in UFC, but they will not take my soul. If an organization who fights for cleaning the sport is on such a level that they want to blackmail a fighter? Can you get any lower? I wouldn?t do this to my worst enemy. But such are the rules, I?m not mad at anybody. I should have kept quiet. I ended up being more naive than a French maid?"
Cro Cop said he was angry with the way the organization handled the situation. CroCop subsequently temporarily retired, admitted to using HGH, and was suspended for two years by USADA.
?This all made me sick and I said this is no longer for me. The were sticking to their guns and did not say anything to me. My test was clean so they had no right to do this to me. Take Mir?s case as an example. He fought while doping, there was no medicine. They found two anabolic steroids and he received the same penalty as me, and I didn?t even fight. And then they snitch on me. I?m not mad at anybody but that was not the correct thing to do and it was an unsportsmanlike thing to do," said CroCop.
The 41-year-old did came out of retirement earlier this month, and will make his return with the Rizin Fighting Federation as part of a 16-man openweight tournament beginning September 25, 2016 in Tokyo. Cro Cop gets a bye in the first round and will fight in December
By Carlos Toro