Jake Ellenberger: I Know I’ve Fought Guys On PEDs, They Told Me
Welterweight “Juggernaut” Jake Ellenberger has fallen on hard times in his recent UFC career, and wil hope to get back on track as he faces Josh Koscheck at UFC 184. Ellenberger has gone on a three fight losing skid lately, dropping fights to Robbie Lawler, Kelvin Gastelum and Rory MacDonald. His opponent Kos is also win-less in three.
So what has changed for Jake Ellenberger? There was a time when he was considered a serious contender, and was 8-2 for the promotion. We’ll see if he has his steam back against Koscheck at UFC 184 on February 28th. For now, check out his recent interview with Rick Lee about PEDs (performance enhancing drugs):
“I know for a fact I’ve fought guys on PEDs,” Ellenberger told Rick Lee. “I’ve had guys tell me that after the fight. I won’t say any names but you can tell. You can tell when you clinch up with somebody. Probably the biggest test is by the way they look, but I’m not going to name names. It’s very common.”
“(the new drug testing) is good for the sport, it’s good for competition, especially when there’s heavier penalties. I think guys are going to tend to think about it a little more if that’s their only income.
There’s a pattern emerging among fighters claiming that PEDs are more rampant than we know. Realistically, surely they wouldn’t have many reasons to claim this without it being true? Given the fact that many refuse to name names, including “The Juggernaut”, means all we can do is speculate. He continues on the subject of his training for Koscheck:
“The way I view the sport has changed,” said Ellenberger. “The way I view myself has changed. There’s the worst case scenario in your head and then you can actually go so much farther then where you think you can. Really not having a choice, I’ve definitely been there the last few weeks. I’ve been in absolute hell. I’ve seen some dark places in the last few weeks. It’s changed the way I view combat sports overall.
“You won’t see a nice guy Jake Ellenberger. You’ll see ‘The Juggernaut.’ You’ll see a guy who wants to leave a pool of blood. A guy who wants to leave brain matter on the post.”
Two struggling welterweights likely fighting to stay active, relevant and contracted. Each has shown glimpses of excellence in the past, but seem to have just fallen short in their most pivotal tests. Who you got, Kos or Ellenberger at UFC 184?
Quotes by MMAFighting.com
