Jose Souza made his UFC debut practically three years after first signing with the promotion, after a optimistic drug take a look at that led to a prolonged suspension for doping turned his life the wrong way up.
Souza, also referred to as Jose Enrique, who will face fellow UFC debutant Ding Meng on Saturday’s Struggle Evening present in Macau, China, spoke in regards to the troublesome time he has endured since testing optimistic for 2 metabolites of the anabolic drug nandrolone in 2023.
“It was actually troublesome,” Souza advised MMA Combating. “I went by way of a number of hardships, I went by way of a number of unhealthy ideas, I even thought I’d by no means combat within the UFC. But it surely gave me extra energy. It gave me the motivation to assume, ‘I need to be there once more and I will make it occur.’ And I did. I spent that point working, ready, coaching and making an attempt my greatest each day. That gave me the energy to maintain going. As a result of I wanted a purpose and my purpose was to get into the UFC. ”
Souza mentioned he has by no means taken unlawful medicine to enhance his efficiency contained in the cage, however claims he was suggested by medical doctors to make use of Deca Durabolin to recuperate from a knee harm. he stored preventing Dana White’s Contender Collection He misplaced a call in August 2022 and was getting ready to return to the Shooto Brasil cage in February 2023.
“I’ve competed within the Contender Collection and handed drug checks there with no issues,” Souza mentioned. “I used to be clear and I by no means took something. That is the reality. I by no means took something. Once I got here out of Contender and out of the Octagon, Sean Shelby and Dana White got here to my locker room and mentioned, ‘We such as you. Get on the market and combat a couple of fights and we’ll take you to a promotion.'”
“Proper after that, I fought in Brazil Shooto, and through coaching camp about two or three weeks earlier than the combat, I harm my knee in wrestling coaching. I went to the physician and he mentioned, ‘Should you get a drug take a look at, you may’t combat within the promotion, so let’s use this drug.'” That is when he advisable Deca Durabolin to me. This labored in a short time and was meant for use post-surgery. That was it. ”
Shooto Brasil is sanctioned by the Brazilian Combined Martial Arts Competitors Fee (CABMMA) and its fighters are topic to drug testing, however the fee doesn’t take a look at all fighters on the cardboard.
“(The physician) gave me the injection and I fought in Shooto proper after that,” Souza mentioned. “I knocked that man out. (Andre Pederneiras) ‘Dede’ referred to as Sean Shelby and mentioned, ‘Have a look at this child.'” The second I stepped out of the cage, ‘Dede’ mentioned, ‘You simply signed with the UFC.’ It was an emotional second after the sport. After the combat, I went to Russia with a pal who was preventing in ACA, and on March eighth they went to Russia to check me. ”
Souza admitted that he didn’t disclose his use of the substance when he signed with the UFC and was initially examined by USADA as a result of “my physician advised me it might be eradicated from my physique inside seven days.”
“I did not inform Dede (in regards to the use). That was my mistake,” Souza mentioned. “The duty is totally mine. I took the whole lot on my shoulders, as a result of if I had advised him beforehand, he would have guided me to raised choices. However I used to be considering: ‘I need to combat, I’ve to combat, they’re me,’ and that was it.”
In response to the UFC welterweight division, he accepted the two-year suspension as a result of “the physician who advisable (Deca Durabolin) didn’t need to be concerned in defending it in entrance of USADA.” A yr later, Pederneiras requested for launch to be able to earn cash in different fights earlier than returning to the UFC.
Souza remained lively throughout his suspension, preventing for a promotion that didn’t adjust to USADA’s ban. First, he defeated UFC veteran Leonardo Guimarães in a boxing match, adopted by a profitable streak a couple of months later underneath the Centurion FC banner in 2024, and finally a return to the UFC in 2026.
“(The UFC) promised to convey me again a yr later, and so they did precisely that,” Souza mentioned. “They honored that phrase and now I’m again and positively prepared to point out why I deserve the UFC.”
The 24-year-old Nova Uniao fighter had bouts earlier this yr towards Eric Nolan, Nikolai Veretenisnikov and Charles Radtke, earlier than having a number of bouts canceled earlier than lastly agreeing to face Ding, a 35-9 Chinese language veteran, in enemy territory.
“I discovered quite a bit from the whole lot,” Souza mentioned. “I needed to undergo that. I do not assume I used to be prepared after I first signed with the UFC. I used to be very younger and did not have any life expertise. I discovered quite a bit from preventing on the Contender Collection, however I nonetheless wanted to develop as an individual and as an athlete. At this time, I consider I am way more ready to be a UFC fighter.”
