Chael Sonnen, the outspoken UFC fighter and Fox Sports mixed martial arts analyst, is off the UFC's July 5 card in Las Vegas after an unannounced May 23rd drug tested administered by the Nevada Athletic Commission turned up positive for two banned substances.
The story was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com.
Sonnen reportedly tested positive for Anastrozole, a drug used to treat breast cancer, and Clomiphene, a fertility drug. Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts was recently suspended four games by the NFL for using Clomiphene, though he said it was not a case of doping but an attempt to have another child.
Sonnen said in an email to Yahoo Sports he would grant an interview later Tuesday. He is scheduled to address the issue at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Fox Sports 1. UFC president Dana White is expected to release a statement after Sonnen's announcement on Fox Sports 1.
Sonnen, who had been highly critical of Wanderlei Silva for refusing to take a random test when requested by the Nevada commission, had elevated levels of testosterone in his system following a loss in a middleweight title fight to Anderson Silva at UFC 117 on Aug. 7, 2010, in Oakland, Calif.
He was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for that failure, but not for having elevated testosterone levels. Rather, the penalty was handed out for failure to disclose. He told George Dodd, then the executive officer of the California commission, about his use of testosterone replacement therapy at the weigh-in. He had not received a Therapeutic Use Exemption in California to use it.
TRT usage was banned by the Nevada commission on Feb. 27 and many state commissions followed suit.
In an interview with Yahoo shortly after Nevada'a TRT ban, Sonnen admitted he was in a difficult spot because he said he is hypogonad and needs testosterone to live.
"It puts me in a spot, because medically, I do need testosterone," Sonnen said in an interview with Yahoo Sports that was published March 4. "I have to look at this carefully, but they made no bones about it: It's out. We all have to deal with that, whether we like it or not."
In an unattributed statement, a UFC official said the promotion "acknowledge(s) irregularities in a recent random test."
