Sonnen defends Wand in case of doping test leak: 'He had the right to say no'

C. Sonnen (photo) came to Wanderlei’s defense. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Chael Sonnen defended Wanderlei Silva and stated that his rival was right to refuse to take the fateful surprise anti-doping test in 2014, which ended up costing the Brazilian a lifetime ban from the sport.

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Sonnen and Wanderlei would face each other at UFC 175, in May 2014. A few months earlier, the Nevada Athletic Commission, the entity that inspects events in Las Vegas (USA), initiated the policy of carrying out anti-doping tests on fighters outside of the competition period. . Wand, at the time, refused to take the exam, which caused him to be severely punished by the Commission in a subsequent trial.

In an interview with the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Sonnen stated that the Brazilian had very valid reasons for not wanting to give up his samples, especially due to the non-transparent procedure adopted at the time.

“Let me give you the other side of the story, because Wanderlei never said it. If he said it, people would side with him. I was the first guy to be tested under this new exam policy. At the time, no one knew what that was. I was first and Wanderlei would be second. Looking back now, I shouldn't have taken the exam either. I didn't even know if they had the right to test me, and that's relevant. The guy [exam collector] showed up and didn't show identification, and that's a problem. Afterwards, he wanted to take me to a small room where I had to take off my clothes and show my penis – because they needed to see me urinating. This is a very private thing. To this day I don't know why I took the exam. I stepped back and accepted his authority, but I don't know if I should. I had to sign a bunch of paper without really knowing what it was. And I speak English. With Wanderlei, in addition to all these factors, there was also the fact that he didn't fully understand him. Wanderlei never fully told his side of the story, but it's a completely fair point of view. He had the right to say no. And then they banned him for life!”, the disaffected Brazilian was indignant.

Due to all the controversy, the fight between Sonnen and Wanderlei never got off the ground. The Brazilian appealed the decision and managed to reduce his punishment, which ends in May next year.