- Rampage Jackson said Jon Jones has taken steroids several times
- The MMA legend recalled how Chael Sonnen prompted the UFC to ban TRT
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson recently shared his honest take on banned substances and also claimed that he knew his former UFC light heavyweight rival Jon Jones had been taking steroids.
Good with TRT, not with steroids
Speaking on Paddy Pimblett’s podcast, Jackson said he didn’t mind if Wanderlei Silva was on steroids during their epic battles and he knew all along that “Bone” had been on it too for the better part of his career.
“I’ve beaten roided fighters before, so it didn’t bother me. I don’t think steroids really win fights. I think that it helped but I don’t think it win, like Jon Jones [did] steroids like 30 times, would he had still be in the same Jon Jones without it? Yeah, he just probably wouldn’t look the same,” Jackson said.
The MMA legend went on and pointed out that he has never been okay with steroids unlike with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) because if the amount is right, testosterone is essential for an athlete.
“I’m not against fighters of people being prescribed like testosterone treatment. I’m actually a firm believer that, if you’re an athlete and you’ve passed a certain age, you should consult a doctor and get your testosterone level checked. A lot of fans, they don’t understand that… I’m a firm believer in testosterone but I’m totally against steroids,” the former UFC light heavyweight champion added.
Chael abused it
Jackson also agreed with Pimblett when “The Baddy” said that people began criticizing TRT because of Vitor Belfort. However, Rampage said that the UFC used to allow TRT until Chael Sonnen and other fighters began taking it excessively.
“Some fighters are abusing it. Actually, the UFC used to allow it right? Up to a certain levels but they stopped allowing it cause of Chael Sonnen. ‘Cause they said, ‘Ok, you can bring it up to levels of 800.’ But Chael Sonnen and other guys, they was at like 1800s, it was like at 1200s. That’s like chaeating, you know. Cause 800 is normal, if your testosterone is lower than 800, you could bring it up to 800. But you couldn’t go to 900, 950, you couldn’t do that,” Jackson revealed.
Sonnen has been suspended more than once during his UFC days due to banned substances. He recently said that he didn’t know he was cheating until the commission told him so and otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it.
As for Jones, he infamously had his KO win over Daniel Cormier in their rematch at UFC 214 after testing positive for turinabol. Aside from being accused of taking steroids, “Bones” has also been criticized by Jackson in the past for being a “dirty fighter” inside the cage.
