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Chael Sonnen fails drug test, pulled from UFC 175
The Roar
10th June, 2014
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Chael Sonnen attempting WWE in UFC - can he solve the over-saturation issue? : Credit: Esther Lin
The Roar
10th June, 2014
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MMA fighter Chael Sonnen has failed a random drug test taken in late-May, forcing UFC officials to remove him from UFC 175 on July 5.

Sonnen had been matched against Vitor Belfort after the same random drug test forced Wanderlei Silva, Sonnen’s rival coach at TUF 3 in Brazil, to be removed from the original bout.

Silva and Sonnen had already had a skirmish during TUF 3, with the coaches trading words, leading to an ugly, infamous brawl. Sonnen was punched by one of Silva’s support coaches.

However, with Silva outed, Belfot was the new opponent for Sonnen.

According to Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) officials, both Sonnen and Silva were asked to undergo random drug tests while in Nevada for a recent UFC 175 pre-event press conference.

Silva refused the request.

Sonnen took the test, and tested positive for two banned substances – Anastrozole and Clomiphene – which are forms of anti-estrogen treatments. Sonnen has previously utilised Testosterone Replacement Therapy, known as TRT, before it was banned.

The American fighter said at the time he had abandoned the treatment, and would look for alternatives or else retire.

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“If [the ban] retires guys, then it retires guys,” Sonnen said on UFC Tonight. “Rules are rules, and the rules need to be followed.

“I’ve had to stop testosterone with the hope we can find a new way to gain results of upping testosterone to a healthy level. If it doesn’t work, I may have to stop the sport, and it’s as simple as that.”

The UFC issued the following statement on Tuesday: “UFC officials acknowledge irregularities in a recent random test. Chael is planning on addressing the matter this afternoon.”

Update: UFC President Dana White spoke to FOX Sports 1 with Chael Sonnen.

“My reaction isn’t shock,” UFC President Dana White said on FOX Sports 1. “This has been lingering. This stuff was legal. TRT was legal, then the Nevada State Athletic Commission said it’s illegal now, it’s gotta go away, but there’s gonna be effects of stopping this thing cold turkey. It just doesn’t work that way.

“I wish that the commission never let anybody use TRT, and when it went away, they didn’t do a very good job of figuring out how to get these guys off of it. When you get off it, you don’t just go cold turkey. There’s things you’ve got to do. If you don’t take these estrogen blockers, they can get side effects from it.

“Chael Sonnen is at a point in his life, in his career, where he got married, he’s trying to have children. He was on medicine to get fertile and have a baby, and his wife is now pregnant so it worked. This is between Chael and the commission, but the rules should’ve been laid out better when they said ‘that’s it, it’s over.'”

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And as far as where the blame lay in regards to Sonnen’s situation, White’s answer was simple.

“Both are at fault,” the UFC President said. “I think the Nevada State Athletic Commission could’ve laid it out better for how they were going to end this thing, what would be banned and what wouldn’t be banned for the guys coming down off it. Again, it’s a matter of, they’re not very educated on TRT. It’s the thing that’s made this whole thing impossible.

“Anyway, it’s Chael fault too because Chael should’ve called the athletic commission and said, ‘this is what my doctor told me I need to do to come down off this stuff, so here’s what I’m taking.’ He absolutely should’ve done that.”

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