As a rising prospect, Blake Bilder’s entrance into the UFC was hyped by fans. He entered the promotion with an undefeated record and a stellar performance against Shane Young at UFC 284. However, following his maiden victory under Dana White’s banner, ‘El Animal’s career trajectory took a very different turn as he started using psychedelics, and he apparently used them just before fighting at UFC 289, which left fans in awe.
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“I did L—D before a fight. A bunch of L—D. UFC 289 in Canada. I snuck it over the Canada border, and I took some the day of, right before I left, so we could be with the staff,” Blake Bilder said on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning podcast. “I had those murdered-out, blacked-out Dior glasses, and I was like nobody could see my eyes. When I took it… I took it and then I go… I always pray. I was praying and it was on my tongue, and it just dissolves. And I was like, oh no, no, no.
I was like… we got this. And then I heard, ‘ye of little faith.’ And I was like, oh no. So I go up to the mirror and start washing my face, and then I was like we got this. And I just felt like I know God is with me. But I just felt like I wasn’t with God. And it just felt empty. As soon as you get to the venue, ‘You’ve been randomly selected to be drug tested, so we’re gonna have you pee immediately when you get to the venue. I was like, ‘Cool.’ I just felt like everybody was giving me the eye,” he concluded.
Well, as Bilder actually performed under the influence of a very hard psychedelic, winning the bout against a veteran like Kyle Nelson became a tough ask. And the fight turned out exactly as expected as he lost the fight via unanimous decision. At UFC 289, the 35-year-old lost his undefeated status as well as his chance to build further momentum in the UFC. However, as that first experience of fighting with a floating mind turned out to be a really bad one, ‘El Animal’ actually stopped using d–gs after that loss.
He cited facing deep backlash over his performance and some fans bringing up the passing of his brother, after which he decided to walk away from psychedelics. But when it comes to using such substances, Bilder was not alone. Even former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya apparently used some before the second fight against Alex Pereira, although not on fight day.
Moreover, after losing to Nelson at UFC 289, Bilder suffered another defeat in the UFC against Jeong Yeong Lee in 2024 and hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since. However, last year, he returned to action to face Kit Dale in a grappling match, the result of which remains unknown.
Now, after the American UFC star’s revelation, fans were left shocked and poured surprising reactions all over the comments section. So, without further ado, let’s check them out.
Fans React as UFC fighter reveals using a hard psychedelic substance ahead of UFC 289 bout
One fan found the UFC star’s testimony inspiring, “Dang what a good testimony 🔥 so cool, thank you for sharing 🙏,” while another user simply hoped Bilder was doing okay, “god always got me.. But I wasn’t with god”. Really hit deep. Hope you’ve been doing well, my brother.”
For the unversed, Blake Bilder is a known follower of Christianity and has always been open about his faith. That’s why he described the moment as a spiritual experience after ingesting the psychedelic. As his story reflected on ‘El Animal’ thinking about God, another fan believed it must have been a terrifying situation.
“You have little faith” gotta be the most terrifying thing you could hear during a trip before a fight,” a user wrote. After that comment, another fan replied with a spiritual take, “God has a way of reminding us of his goodness & humbling us.” Then, another fan reacted with, “Yooooooo 😵😵😵,” showing sheer surprise at Bilder’s revelation.
Now, a curious fan also commented, “I wanna watch that fight now.” The thought of a UFC fighter clashing with an opponent under the influence sounds unique. But the actual fight remained fairly routine, as Nelson relied on his wrestling to cruise to a decision victory.
That said, as Blake Bilder has opened up about one of the most fascinating chapters of his life, what do you think about his experience? Let us know in the comments section below.