Rampage Jackson was always confident that he was in the clear when it came to steroids. Sure, he’d used testosterone injections in the past, but it wasn’t the same thing to him. He was treating an injury, following physicians’ advice, and remaining “natural.” That’s what he believed for over two decades. But a recent conversation changed everything.

It began with a simple question. In a recent video, YouTuber Bradley Martin brought up Jackson’s famed door-breaking episode on The Ultimate Fighter, openly asking, “Were you on roids yet?” Rampage responded quickly, offended: “No. Why’d you say roids, m———–? I’ve never done roids.”

That’s when the YouTuber gently dropped the truth bomb. “It is steroids,” he stated, referring to testosterone replacement medication. Rampage responded, “No, it’s not. It’s a different molecule. That’s what I was told.” But the clarifications kept coming. “Testosterone is a steroid hormone,” Martyn explained.

“Roids are steroids. Testosterone—it’s all the same thing. People think roids and picture bodybuilders on tons of gear. But in reality, it’s all steroids, just different doses.” The moment it all clicked, Rampage froze. “I did steroids?” he asked, stunned at the epiphany.

Getting back to his senses, the UFC legend did attempt to recover. “Even though I was on testosterone, I was still natty. (Natural)” However, the response came quick: “They lied. That’s not true.” Rampage Jackson, still processing, looked visibly defeated. “I don’t believe that, man,” he said, shaking his head. But Bradley Martin insisted, smiling. “It’s the truth. I swear to you.”

It was a bizarre interaction, not only for the fans watching but also for Rampage himself, a man who had spent years believing his approach was aboveboard, only to find out that he may have been on “roids” all along. In fact, he even once fought Dana White about it. But can you even blame the guy?

Given the prevalence of testosterone replacement medication in MMA prior to the TRT ban, Rampage is unlikely to be the only one who believed he was still “natty.” In fact, just days ago, Rampage Jackson exposed the rampant PED use in MMA.

Rampage Jackson spills the ugly truth about PED use

Just days before his surprise at learning testosterone was technically a steroid, Rampage Jackson had already spoken freely about the PED culture in mixed martial arts. On a podcast, he spoke candidly about his experience in PRIDE FC, the famed Japanese promotion where drug testing was not just lax but almost nonexistent.

“I fought people in PRIDE that was on steroids, and I beat some of them, and I lost,” he said. That was not a speculation; it was something he experienced firsthand. In fact, Jackson recalled one specific memory: a PRIDE rules meeting where the first line on the page read, “We do not test for anabolic steroids.” It wasn’t a secret; it was the policy.

That era was wild, and he wasn’t the only one to say so. Demetrious Johnson also added, “Steroids don’t help you win a fight… but they help you train more; they help you recover.” That’s the advantage — not the fight itself, but the preparation. Well, for now, it seems like Rampage Jackson was slow to realize what he took, but he’s not confused about the world he fought in.