Chael Sonnen granted TRT use exemption by NSAC
Posted on May 21, 2012, 02:22 PM by Mike Drahota
Today Chael Sonnen appeared before the Nevada State Athletic Commission in a bid to gain a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for his well-documented use of TRT. His request was indeed granted, and it appears that his UFC 148 Middleweight title bout with Anderson Silva will go down with much less controversy than their previous encounter, in a sense. Of course Sonnen was suspended for six months following his UFC 117 loss after failing to inform the CSAC of his usage. This time, though, Sonnen is in the clear according to NSAC commissioner Keith Kizer, who stated the following:
"He's done his time. He’s come clean on his prior dishonesty, and that's all appreciated." - via MMAJunkie.com
Sonnen is not without supervision regarding TRT however, as he must pass a blood test the morning after the fight to stay with the commission's good graces. His T:E levels must stay within the 6:1 allowed regardless of his TRT therapy. The decision to allow Sonnen's TUE appeared to involve much deliberation on the part of the commission, who spent about 30 minutes reaching their final verdict.
Sonnen has admitted to using the therapy since 2008, via self amdministered injections. The commission was concerned that he and other athletes may use TRT as a means to replace Testosterone after their bodies have stopped producing it following steroid usage. Sonnen stated under oath that he has never used steroids. The commission even allowed Sonnen an advisory role in the ongoing discussion of TRT usage in MMA, a hotly discussed topic as of late.
Sonnen will be allowed to continue his TRT usage under regulation. Is this good or bad for the sport? Many may think a victory over Anderson Silva at UFC 148 could be tainted due to TRT. Does it place an asterisk over the head of fighters that use TRT and then win in high-profile bouts? Again, the debate over TRT, its legalities, and the fine line between it and PED usage will rage on further.
Comments
L'ets see if Silva can stop the bulldozer this time
Nice ! We re gonna see a competitive match !
I didn't say he won
silva stopped him in the last minute
im just saying let's see if he can do it this time
Interesting.
Everything is going Chaels way, he should request wearing brass knuckles & still toe boots also.....hell they want him to be the Champ so bad that they may grant that.
all this bitching for something so simple , TRT is nothing if you don't know how to fight it means nothing if Sonnen is on TRT
people say is cheating , why? because its ilegal why because its new
and they have not regulate it yet.
they say is cheating because it gives you an advantage
well so does weight cutting , why do u think Tito was champion
for so long?
he was the only one cutting weight fighting much smaller
fighters, supplements also help your body yet no one bitch about it
a fighter or athlete will never be the as good as one that uses 0 supplements
Stop the excuses Sonnen beat the shit out of Silva , and Silva pull a submission that save his belt , if he is truly the best he should have no problem fighting Sonnen again period.
The 'hearing' was hilarious, the commission went to the point of asking this self-admitted felon if he could assist them 'educate' other fighters about TRT. What an absolute effing joke. Meanwhile Diaz gets suspended a year for smoking weed. Bottom line, kiss the NSAC's collective ass and you'll get your way. Fail to do so and they'll fvck you over completely.
So true.
Very interesting....hope they do a surprise test during training...I am sure he wont be stupid to be overlimit for the fight but I am sure he will be stupid to cheat during training....Chael will always be Chael.
His testosterone LEVEL never tested above the allowable level. His T/E RATIO did. With this exemption, he is now allowed to have elevated T/E ratios, as long as his overall testosterone level remains within the allowable range.
So yes, he might test over the limit, but it won't matter.
Then what's the point of the ratio if it has no indication of actual testosterone in the system? If it isn't directly linked to providing an accurate measurement I don't see the use of it. These are the things that need to be clearly defined or certain fighters will be given an advantage because of some ridiculous loophole.
All I can say is WOW
not only did chael get a license but he also got offered a job as NSAC commissioner/advisor without even asking. Now that's #Gangster
Chael is a smart dude. Just like a slimy attorney he has obviously found a loophole in the system. With that said everyone should head to their local sportsbook and put their next paycheck on Chael because he's coming in!!!
Anderson should pull out of this fight ...Sonnen's cheating again.
how is he cheating if the allowed him the use on the terms that he needs it
if the level of training required for his chosen sport results in him needing testosterone replacement therapy then he chose the wrong sport....it gives a fighter an unfair advantage pure and simple and thats cheating in my book pal .
why do i have the funny feeling if it were Anderson using TRT things would be flip side with you, it doesn't give him him an unfair advantage it just puts him on par
disregard the double him
cheating again....puts him on a par...ok ill fight Silva and i get to use a gun....puts me on a par
I'm not understanding why testosterone levels have to be "on par" for a fight. I'm no expert but if over training and weight cutting leads to lower levels of testosterone, then so be it. If that's a reason, then all fighters should have equal testosterone levels during a fight right? It's retarded. What other things need to be equal to have a fight?
he'll be applying for prosthetic limbs next to get rid of the natural reach advantage
I wonder how well he would do naturally against the Spider? I guess we will never know. :P
Like he did 'gainst Bisping, but much worse.
Yep, thats the real Chael and that one won't even compete with Anderson never mind beat him.
If Anderson pulls out of this fight, a few fans will share your point of view and respect him for it. However, Chael will go on a media rampage saying Silva ducked him and that he is the true champion, etc., and the majority of MMA fans will believe him. From both a legacy and obviously a financial standpoint, Silva would be stupid to pull out of this fight.
This was already one of the most divisive, bad-blooded grudge matches in MMA history and I think it just got more intense.
Surprisngly, Chael's argument, that it wasn't what he did, but the way he did it, just became more valid.
But the people who thought he was cheating before are probably going to believe it even more now.
Is it possible that Chael really does have some medical issue that should allow TRT treatment? Maybe. But even if he does, other people are going to abuse it.
One testicle (Pendulum nut)
Also explains Chael's multiple personality and delusions.
People may have a moral opposition to Chael's taking TRT - and that's totally fine - but don't say it's cheating. If it is within the rules, it's not cheating.
I do believe Chael's story that he disclosed it the first time around, and that the NSAC hung him out to dry for not disclosing it properly, making themselves look confused on their own rules in the process.
Dan Henderson doesn't seem to get the same negative response for his TRT use. Of course, Hendo isn't as polarizing a character as Chael is.
you mean as dishonest a character ?
It is cheating if you are sly and dishonest about it. Just because you get permission doesn't have anything to do with being legit since you already were caught lying on multiple fronts and then claim you aren't this time. We are in a situation where the commission has no proof he will cheat but only that he has held information back in the past at convenient times. The commission know he is dishonest but they have already given him a punishment and now have to wait for his next mistake. I have very few doubts as to the type of person Chael is and the one he would like us to believe he is in the real world. His real world life also addressed his personality so don't be fooled that he is doing this legitimately when it's his only road to success.
your on full force today
and as usual you're not
and that makes sense how?
I agree with you completely, but Cheater Sonner will still lose that fight regardless.
Anderson Silva is a 37 year old with 35 MMA fights and 2 boxing matches. He has been a professional combat sports athlete for more than 15 years and has trained in martial arts for more than 23 years. No matter how elusive you are, all those fights and years of training are going to take a toll. I seriously doubt Silva has gone into any of his UFC fights 100% healthy, and I guarantee he won't go into this one 100% healthy. He had an injury last time, and he will have some other problem this time.
Go ahead and root for Silva, but don't bet on him.
Lol at you guys...obviously he is being upfront and operating within the rules and legal limits. haha...geez, get over it.
Do you know why I pulled you over? ”Yes. I was speeding.” Nice to know that the Nsac acts like the local pd. I'm sure that fighters see this and won't be trying to lie to them anymore. Still though. Wow....
How do we know that Anderson does not cheat? I mean truthfully, we only know of people that have been caught, what about the rest? I'm sure if UFC decided to do a one night random blood drug test on every fighter under contract, we'd be surprised on the numbers and names, or not.
We don't but we have never had a reason to doubt him unlike others who have proven to be dishonest and sly in their attempts to be legit. The ones who have been caught or been in and out of danger concerning TRT are the ones we grill. Anderson has skills the others just can't compete with and it seems anyone who is going to beat him has to be able to hold him down and out last his cardio and it seems the only way is by TRT so it is no wonder there is a few in MW that are using it. I think your idea of random tests would be awesome and if Anderson was caught doing it my respect for him would be gone as it is for Chael.
sonnen _ucked danas _ick to get the fight out from brazil. now he _ucked a lot of commission _ick to be able to man his scared ass up with PEDs to face silva...
sonnen is a _ock _ucking bitch!!!!
Ok, lets get the facts straight:
- He managed to move his fight from Brasil and not for the reason the UFC claimed since, by Sonnen own admission on the Joe Rogan Podcast (which is great I may add, Sonnen is always interesting to ear), he thought if the fight happened in Brasil, there would be "incidents" with the crowd... To what one intelligent person has to conclude that all his shit talk about the country in question and its people was so he wouldn't have to fight there...
- Hes a professional athlete on one if not the toughest sport that is and to perform, he needs to have a TRT treatment... here again the conclusion is very simple, if your body cant coupe with this type of sport, than clearly you shouldn't be fighting in the first place. Feck TRT treatment, not just Sonnen but whichever other athlete needs to do it to compete. Its stupid from a medical, legal and competitive point of view... Your body is telling you you shouldn't be fighting if you need TRT treatment...
Its easy to come to the conclusion that because Sonnen his a very intelligent, well spoken and educated person, hes getting away with stuff other not so apt athletes arent (Nick Diaz comes to mind here no...?). Thats all good if we were talking about a competition in Trivia but were talking MMA and a fight were thous skills dont come in play.
Win-Draw-Lose, This fight just gets shadier and shadier. This will be a clash of eras, with Silva a true Legend of the Sport, a real Martial Artist in every sense, representing the MMA tradition and history, facing the new "breed" of athlete that just sees this as a sport were he will try any competitive advantage (TRT, media hype, trash talk, MMA politic) he will get to win with. Any true MMA fan will agree its hold school against the new school but I guess the objective of MMA now is becoming mainstream so who cares what we, hardcore MMA fans think... right?
Perfectly said. It's Lawyers and drugs vs pride and skill.
he's such a d!ck
Seems like a few too many things are going Sonnen's way at this point. Moving the fight from Brazil, approved TRT, more promotional work and media coverage for Sonnen. Seems a little too lucky for me to believe it isn't shady...
Whaaaaaaa, I should have expected all the crying I'm seeing in here though. Just let them fight. If Anderson is the GOAT, he'll win.
After 20 posts from Evil and highguy, we get it, your all upset....ok
Entity, if mma was your profesion & you knew your opponent was allowed something that will give him an extra advantage,would you feel comfortable.
No more than being at a disadvantage due to a lack of necessary hormones.Would I feel proud fighting a guy with a deficiency? If its at a normal level, I wouldnt care. There is plenty of bias here to go around Hate, you can share.
ill hav a guess and say if you tested his testosterone levels after the silva fight they would b at a record high
This is pathetic. No sport should use this bullshit excuse.
This is pathetic. No sport should use this bullshit excuse.
You can say that again! 8))
REALLY??
Ok guys for f*cks sake. There is no conspiracy here lol
UFC docs recommend and prescribe TRT to fighters who are low (ie:Rampage). The commission has obviously determined that at the legal levels, Chael will not have any unfair advantage.
I seldom agree with my mom. 8)) But I do this time.
lmao! entity,i think you and i share the same type of humor and i know this is over a month old but i had to read about the trt thing to get more insight on it and your comments cracked me the **** up lol!
now my take on this is since his levels have to be 6:1,that tells me that they won't allow him to have the 16:9:1 ratio he had before unless it's still gonna be the same and i have the two confused,but in any case can't say he will cheat this time if he indeed did before so,it gets interesting now....i can't wait!!!