10 Things UFC Wants You To Forget About Chael Sonnen
4. PEDs I
After putting on a career-topping performance against Anderson Silva and being the first man to actually come (very) close to beating the middleweight legend, Sonnens drug tests showed he had an abnormally elevated level of testosterone in his body. The normal level for the average man is a testosterone/epitestosterone ratio of 1:1. For athletes undergoing TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) the governing body may allow levels of 4:1 but Sonnens level was 16:1, four times the permittable amount. As a punishment, Sonnen was suspended for a year and fined $2500. Sonnen tried to appeal the decision, claiming that he was on TRT for medical reasons and that he believed he had informed and taken the appropriate steps to notify the athletic commissions of his use. Initially, Sonnens suspension was reduced as they changed their verdict to accommodate him failing to supply them with information regarding his testosterone use but after the aforementioned money laundering charge, the decision to shorten the suspension was overturned. One of the greatest, most intriguing fights in the history of the middleweight belt had been partially ruined by Sonnens use of PEDs.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
