Dana White, president of the UFC. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Dana White considers that the irregularity in the anti-doping test of Chael Sonnen It is the fault of both the American fighter and the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), the entity that requested the test. This Tuesday (10), it was announced that Sonnen tested positive in the surprise test carried out on May 24th. The fighter himself admitted to having ingested the banned substances, but claimed that he only did so due to a transition period after the ban on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), which occurred at the beginning of the year.
MORE ABOUT THE DOPING CASE CHAEL SONNEN:
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The UFC president stated that, due to the way in which the TRT ban was carried out, failing the anti-doping test was already something to be expected. “I wasn’t shocked. This issue has been going on for a long time. The TRT was within the rules, but it was a bad thing from the beginning. He wished the commissioner who authorized it had never let anyone use the TRT. Afterwards, the NSAC said it was illegal, so there would be some effects after its ban”, commented the director, in an interview with the program “America's Pregame”, on the North American broadcaster “FOX Sports”.
For White, the NSAC did not know how to guide athletes on how to proceed after the end of the TRT, which had fighters such as Vitor belfort e Dan Henderson, in addition to Sonnen. “When [TRT] was banned, they didn't do a good job of educating athletes on the best way to quit therapy,” he said. “Chael Sonnen has reached the stage in his life where he is married and trying to have children. His wife is pregnant. [But] I also think it's Chael's fault, because he should have told the commission that he needed these substances to live a healthy life.”
Sonnen's test detected the substances anastrozole and clomiphene, which are on the banned list of WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. The first is considered an aromatase inhibitor, also applied after steroid use; The second helps increase the body's production of testosterone.
In an interview given shortly before, Sonnen criticized the NSAC procedure. “It was something I needed to have a healthy life. So basically they are telling me that I need to choose between being healthy or being a sportsman. It's a personal problem and I didn't want to share it with anyone, but I was having fertility problems”, he defended himself.
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