Your Steroid Resource

Remember: It’s only cheating if you get caught. Following his win at WEC 42, Cole Province has tested positive for the oral steroid methasterone, a supplement that can increase your ass-kicking ability but also cause the unwanted side effect of liver damage. (Then again, so can a liver shot. Pick your poison.) The Nevada State Athletic Commission reportedly will give Province a chance to explain himself before passing judgment, which conceivably could include voiding his win.

Methasterone — otherwise known as Superdrol — is a “legal” steroid in that it’s not a controlled substance, and anecdotal evidence points to it leaving the body within two weeks of discontinuation. Because it has some diuretic and metabolic effect, athletes typically consider it for purposes of maintaining or gaining mass while cutting weight for competition. And because it’s an over-the-counter product, Province may have been under the assumption that anything sold legally is legal in competition. (It’s not.)

It’s a blemish, but overall, the rate and frequency of drug-test failures has decreased sharply from two years ago. (That’s 14 positives for performance-enhancers in 2007, five in 2008 and four so far this year. Thank you, CagePotato number nerds.) Either the deterrent effect is working or athletes are getting more clever in hiding their use. In any case, Province isn’t among the latter group.