Alistair Overeem Denied Continuance, Conditional License by Nevada Athletic Commission

Overeem will now be prohibited from applying for a license in Nevada for nine months, post-dated from March 27, meaning that Overeem may not apply again until Dec. 27.

Overeem was scheduled to challenge reigning UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos on May 26 in the main event of UFC 146 before “The Demolition Man” had a pre-fight drug test flagged by the NAC. The test, which was conducted March 27 at a pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas, revealed that Overeem’s testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was 14-to-1, more than double Nevada’s allowable limit of 6-to-1.

Overeem’s counsel, David Chesnoff of Las Vegas, first presented Overeem’s request for a 45-day continuance before the commission. After the request was denied, the deliberation turned toward the request for a conditional license. Chesnoff explained that Overeem’s flagged test was the result of an injection prescribed by Dr. Hector Molina. According to Chesnoff, Overeem was suffering from lingering injuries sustained last year to his foot, rib, thigh and elbow.

Following his victory over Brock Lesnar on Dec. 30 at UFC 141, Overeem visited Molina in January. Molina then injected Overeem with an anti-inflammatory mixture, which contained testosterone, to assist the UFC talent in dealing with his discomfort. However, according to Overeem and his counsel, the heavyweight had no knowledge that the injected substance contained testosterone.

At that time, Overeem was also given a vile that contained two more doses of the mixture. The heavyweight then flew to Las Vegas for the aforementioned UFC 146 press conference. According to Overeem, the flight aggravated his symptoms. The fighter arrived in Nevada on March 22 and called Molina the next day to inform him of his condition, and Molina suggested he take another dose of the mixture.

Also present at Tuesday’s hearing, Molina initially verified Overeem’s story, but when pressed began to hesitate with his responses, eventually stating that he believed “to the best of his knowledge” that he may have given Overeem an idea of what was in the mixture. Molina also admitted that typical procedure dictates that patients sign a consent form, which he did not present to Overeem at the time of the January visit.

The doctor first met Overeem in June of 2011 when he conducted tests on the Dutchman for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation prior to Overeem’s Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix bout with Fabricio Werdum. Overeem next saw Molina in January on the recommendation of acquaintance and fellow fighter Tra Telligman.

Overeem was also questioned regarding his immediate departure following the UFC 146 press conference but prior to the unexpectedly administered drug test. NAC Executive Director Keith Kizer stated that he had given the UFC notice regarding the random test. In response, Overeem said he was not personally notified that the test would be conducted following the presser and was not attempting to avoid the process.

Chesnoff concluded the hearing by reiterating that Overeem had no reason to take testosterone for performance-enhancing purposes, as evidenced by the fighter not using the last remaining dose in the vile. Overeem then pointed to the fact that he had voluntarily given up his title shot at dos Santos in an effort to prove that he is clean. However, Overeem was still denied his request for a conditional license on the strength of his test result.

While it appeared for several weeks that Overeem might contest the finding today in an effort to compete on May 26, the fighter ended all suspense Monday by announcing his reluctant withdrawal from his UFC 146. As a result, former UFC champion Frank Mir will now challenge dos Santos next month.

Overeem had originally been granted a conditional license to fight Lesnar his past December, though that booking appeared on shaky ground for a time after the Dutchman postponed a requested drug test due to travel between the United States and the Netherlands. The test conducted on March 27 served as the first of two required random samples that Overeem was expected to submit per the terms of his conditional license granted in December.

Widely regarded as one of MMA’s top heavyweights, Overeem simultaneously held titles in Dream, Strikeforce and K-1 before joining the UFC. A former 205-pound competitor in Pride Fighting Championships, Overeem proved dominant in his Octagon debut at UFC 141, retiring Lesnar with a first-round liver kick to earn a shot at dos Santos.