Chael Sonnen reportedly fails second drug test, including presence of HGH
Less than three weeks after failing a random drug test in Nevada that took him out of a UFC 175 bout against Vitor Belfort, and ultimately led to his retirement from MMA, Chael Sonnen has reportedly failed a second test, as well.
MMA Fighting reported Saturday night that a second test, also administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, showed Sonnen had human growth hormone (HGH), recombinant human erythropoietin, anastrozole and human chorionic gonadotropin.
According to the report, Sonnen took the second test on June 5 in his home state of Oregon. At the time, the results of his first test, which took place in late May in Las Vegas, had not been released. The results of that test came out June 10, when it was revealed Sonnen tested positive for anastrozole, a non-steroidal aromatase-inhibiting drug used to treat breast cancer, and clomiphene, which is used to treat female infertility.
Sonnen said after the failed test that he was on the drugs as he cycled off his previous therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy, which the NSAC banned earlier this year.
Sonnen issued a statement to MMA Fighting regarding the results of the second test: “Yes, the Commission is aware of other prescribed medications I was taking and I will not challenge their allegations,†Sonnen stated. “I will cooperate with the Commission and look forward to having a dialogue about how fighters who transition off TRT can avoid violating any rules.â€
After his first positive test, Sonnen said on the “UFC Tonight†program he hosts on FOX Sports 1 that the medical condition that necessitated his use of TRT in turn forced him to take medications in the transition off TRT to maintain a healthy life outside the octagon.
“Look, they changed the rules, and I’ve got to comply with the rules,†Sonnen said then. “I don’t resist that at all. However, there is a transition period, and I couldn’t have been more open or more transparent, whether it was ‘UFC Tonight,’ whether it was different interviews or different places. Anybody that I could tell that I could talk to about this, I did. And these are the medications that you have to go on to lead a healthy life, and if they’re asking me to choose between health and my sport, that’s not a choice I can make. I’ve got to choose health.â€
This past week, the NSAC said it will revisit Sonnen’s failed test later this year for likely disciplinary action. Now that he’s retired, a possible suspension may not affect him. He may be fined, as well.
The California State Athletic Commission suspended Sonnen in 2010 after he failed to properly disclose his TRT treatment. That came after a title fight against then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Sonnen said he did not specifically inform the NSAC about his post-testosterone treatment, which he said included the use of clomiphene and human chorionic gonadotropin, a fertility drug that can boost testosterone production and is also a banned substance. (UFC featherweight Dennis Siver was flagged for the drug following UFC 168 and was suspended by the NSAC.)
Sonnen acknowledged after the first failed test that he knew anastrozole and clomiphene are banned substances. Despite that, he believed the clomiphene was out of his system after a self-administered drug test. However, the 37-year-old fighter claimed that because he was using the drugs “out of competition,’ he was not violating the rules.
“I had no opportunity to go before the commission – I had not spoken to them, but I’m saying I had done other interviews,†Sonnen said after the first test. “Anywhere where it had come up. The only opportunity you’re ever given to disclose a medication that you’re in is in competition. When the state of Nevada comes to you, you do have a form that you can fill it out. This was an out-of-competition (test). This was done by a separate lab known as [the United States Anti-Doping Agency]. It’s the finest lab in the world. But these were also strangers. This was not the Nevada State Athletic Commission that came to me, and there was no attempt to have a disclosure form.
“But even if I had disclosed or hadn’t, you have to understand, this is out of competition. An athlete does not have to remain off medication 365 days of the year – not the NCAA, not [with] the [International Olympic Committee], and not even with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. This is [unprecedented].
“As an athlete, if I break my arm and a doctor gives me Vicodin, Vicodin is extremely illegal on fight night. But it’s also extremely appropriate medicine to cure somebody’s pain, and the message that they’re sending here is completely wrong.â€
