Richard Walsh Says He Lost Faith In USADA Testing After Last Fight

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Richard Walsh (9-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) said he’s lost faith in the USADA’s testing after his last fight with Viscardi Andrade in March. Walsh lost by unanimous decision but Andrade was flagged for a possible doping violation after an out of competition test. Seven months later, Walsh still has a loss on his record. His next fight is against Jonathan Meunier (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 101. Here are highlights:

On the violation of Andrade: “I wasn’t angry. I was more like, ‘Are they going to turn the decision over to a no-contest?’ Which has still kind of been some sort of shady area. I haven’t heard anything from that fight yet. It’s still a loss on my record and anyone who looks up Sherdog will see it’s a loss, so that’s disappointing. What bugs me is – I feel like a lot of things are a bit of a show. And drug testing sounds good, but when things like this happen, with Viscardi, his A and B sample were positive for testosterone and nothing happened, nothing’s really been reported. It’s a little bit insulting to me and it kind of – I lost a little bit of faith in testing. I’ve been tested every fight, but you lose a little bit of faith in it.”

On how he approaches his fights: “I look at every fight like a must-win, back’s against the wall. Because I always find I fight better when my back is against the wall. It’s like a cornered animal. ‘I’ve got to win.’”

On being excited for his next fight: “I’m looking forward to getting out there. You never know until you feel the guy, until you feel his strengths and his weaknesses and how he moves and how much power he possesses. Until you get in that octagon, that 32-foot cage, and you move around, the bright lights are on and black curtain around the octagon –.you’ve just got to play it as you see it. For me, I’m going to be heading out, doing the usual thing at Richie Walsh’s fights: coming forward, pressure fighting, getting inside. He’s got a long torso, big body, huge neck, like a giraffe. So if I can put some shots there, it will be a good night.”