Ryan Garcia attacks MMA fighters as boxing and MMA continue to clearly grow closer as sports all the time.
This just a latest proof of it.
Garcia has been going back and forth on the X platform with an MMA fighter called Ilia Topuria who has brought up Garcia failing drugs tests previously.
Garcia however has pointed out that in his view MMA fighters are all notoriously known for juicing (steroids/PEDs) in mixed martial arts.
Garcia has also said after his planned fight in September with Conor Benn he’s interested in fighting with the above fighter.
On steroids and PED’s in boxing, and failed drugs tests as well for banned substances, it is important to know that boxing is a cleaner sport in this regard for sure.
Here’s some things those new to boxing should be aware of on this:
- UFC tested 1,070 fighters 2,624 times from 2015-2019 and found 209 adverse findings, with 102 rule violations by 93 athletes. ADRV rate was 8.08 per 1,000 tests.
- UFC yearly ADRV rates 2016-2021: 1.223% in 2016, 0.816% in 2017, 0.623% in 2018, 0.744% in 2019, 0.590% in 2020, 0.253% in 2021. Total 116 violations from 19,701 tests.
- Boxing has no central testing program like UFC/USADA. Most state commissions rarely test for EPO, hGH, or IRMS. Over 1,000 U.S. fights per year have no PED testing.
- VADA is voluntary in boxing and only used in select big fights. VADA says it “has caught far more fighters doping than any of its competitors”.
- Anabolic steroids were the most common ADRV in UFC from 2015-2019, per USADA data.
- Boxing major cases 2016-2025: Canelo Alvarez 2018 tested positive twice for clenbuterol.
- Povetkin 2016 failed for meldonium, then ostarine.
- Eric Molina got 2-year UKAD ban for dexamethasone after Joshua fight.
- Helenius 2023 got 2-year ban for clomifene.
- MMA major cases 2016-2025: Brock Lesnar 2016 clomiphene, 2-year sanction.
- Raphael Pessoa 2021 HCTZ + evasion, 2-year sanction for 2nd violation.
- Alexander Shabliy 2025 rEPO, 6-month sanction.
- IBA sanction list 2023-2024 shows only 3 boxers sanctioned: Khataev clomifene 2 years, Nooristani 19-norandrosterone/clostebol 6 years, Cruveillier whereabouts 2 years.
- MMA publishes every violation. USADA lists all UFC ADRVs with dates and substances.
- Boxing sanctions are split across WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO, UKAD, VADA, with no single database.
- UFC adverse finding rate 2015-2019 was 16.55 per 1,000 tests.
- Boxing has no sport-wide rate because most fights aren’t tested.
- VADA states “PEDs remain a significant problem in boxing and MMA”.
The above research is accurate and not only is boxing the cleaner sport, it is the much bigger sport with more and more MMA, kickboxers and combat sports athletes all the time coming to the constantly expanding professional boxing.
Worldwide.
Only this week a star kickboxer Rico even is fighting Oleksandr Usyk for the heavyweight boxing championship of the world at the Pyramids in Egypt.
