MMAConvert.com

James Irvin and Alessio Sakara meet in a middleweight match-up this Sunday, March 21, at UFC on Versus 1.

When we think of drugs of abuse in mixed martial arts, or any sport for that matter, we usually focus on steroids. However, there’s seems to be an alarming trend of fighters abusing a different kind of drug — prescription meds. Karo Parisyan and Paulo Filho’s careers have taken a turn for the worse because of them, and if it wasn’t for James Irvin getting caught, he says his career was headed in the same direction.

“The Anderson Silva fight, I have 25 stitches across my cheek from when he blasted me,” the mixed martial arts fighter told The Canadian Press. “Every day when I look in the mirror, I have a clear reminder of what those drugs did to me and what lies ahead of me if I was ever to start using that garbage ever again.”

…

“It wasn’t until a time that I just stopped taking them that I realized I needed them just to keep on functioning,” he said. “At that time I had become an addict and I was hooked on them.

“I never even heard the word withdrawal,” he added. “I didn’t know what withdrawals were. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know to speak to a doctor about it. I took it the wrong way, kind of the cowardly path. I just kept on using the prescription drugs, but it’s a tough push-pull kind of thing in my line of sport. Injuries are a common thing, it’s something you’re always dealing with. And when you have bad ones, sometimes you have to take those medications.”

Irvin (14-5 with one no contest) now says the positive drug test was a blessing in disguise. He had become trapped.

“I needed to get caught,” he said. “I needed to get in trouble for it and wake me up and get off of those things.”

“Since then, since I’ve had that suspension, (since) I’ve been drug-free, it’s been the happiest time of my entire life. I can honestly say that,” he added. “A lot of people throw that around, but I can tell you (it’s true) with my family, with my wife, my training. I’ve found a new love in training again, it’s something that I had lost while using those prescription drugs and I just feel like a new person.”

Unfortunately in this sport, injuries are essentially unavoidable, and with those comes legal prescriptions for pain medication. No one ever sets out to get hooked on them, but it happens. Hopefully other fighters will learn from their peers like Irvin that just because a doctor provides them doesn’t mean they aren’t extremely dangerous if you abuse them.

James Irvin takes on Alessio Sakara this Sunday night at UFC on Versus 1, and no, he doesn’t want a rematch with Anderson Silva.

It appears July 19 didn’t come without a few drug testing casualties. James Irvin, who fought in the main event at Ultimate Fight Night 14, and Justin Levens, who was supposed to fight at Affliction “Banned” but didn’t because of time constraints, both tested positive for the painkiller oxymorphone. Irvin also tested positive for methadone, which is said to be the drug given to recovering heroin addicts, although it apparently can be used as a painkiller as well.

The UFC Ultimate Fight Night 14 “Silva vs Irvin” weigh-ins took place today in Las Vegas at The Palms.

Anderson Silva’s opponent, James Irvin, weighed in at 207.5lbs with a 206lbs weight limit. The fight will still take place.

[UPDATE 7/18/08 8:40PM ET] – UFC.com is reporting James Irvin returned an hour later to make the 206lbs weight limit.

The weigh-in results courtesy of MMAWeekly.com:

• Anderson Silva (206) vs James Irvin (206*)
• Brandon Vera (204) vs Reese Andy (206)
• Hermes Franca (155) vs Frank Edgar (155)
• Cain Velasquez (236) vs Jake O’Brien (236)
• C.B. Dollaway (186) vs Jesse Taylor (184)
• Anthony Johnson (170) vs Kevin Burns (171)
• Tim Credeur (185) vs Cale Yarbrough (186)
• Brodie Farber (171) vs Rory Markham (170)
• Nate Loughran (183) vs Johnny Rees (183)
• James Giboo (170) vs Brad Blackburn (170)
• Dale Hartt (156) vs Shannon Gugerty (156)

Fighters in non-title fights are allowed to weigh in one pound over the weight class limit.

UFC Ultimate Fight Night 14 ‘Silva vs Irvin’ will take place July 19 at 9PM ET/ 6PM PT live on Spike TV.

Anderson Silva

I want to…help the UFC stay and maintain the status that they are—the number one MMA organization in the world.

It’s a noble gesture, but does Anderson not realize that the UFC having legitimate competition is only going to benefit him in the long-run?

James Irvin after the jump.

In just one short week, James Irvin will face the biggest challenge of his MMA career when he takes on what many consider to be the most devastating striker in mixed martial arts today, Anderson Silva. Silva has largely used his Muay Thai kickboxing background to devastate his opponents since entering the Octagon. But unlike Silva’s previous UFC opposition, Irvin will bring a strong Muay Thai pedigree into the Octagon on July 19 as well. The question is, how will Irvin’s skills stack up against the Brazilian’s at the higher weight?

Despite denials from Spike TV and the UFC, the UFC has green lit the last minute July 19 live Spike TV event designed to counter Affliction Entertainment’s MMA debut.