Chael Sonnen failed his UFC 117 drug test due to elevated testosterone levels that were "well above" normal, California State Athletic Commission Executive Director George Dodd told MMAjunkie.com on Monday. But aside from taking banned performance-enhancing drugs, is there any way a fighter could be flagged for such a thing?
MMAjunkie.com medical columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin tackles the topic in our latest "Ask the Fight Doc" installment.
* * * *Dr. B: I'm sure you've read about Chael Sonnen failing his drug test at UFC 117. I'm tired of reading the theories of Internet doctors. What are the facts?
Well, the facts as we currently know them are that the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) confirmed Chael Sonnen failed a UFC 117 post-fight drug test due to elevated levels of testosterone.
Will more official information be released at a later date? I don't know, but that is what we currently have.
Unlike many others who comment on the Internet, the following discussion will have nothing to do with any personal likes or dislikes I have toward the fighter in question.
Internet conspiracy theories abound and include – but are not limited to – tainted nutritional supplements, workout regimen, naturally occurring increased levels of testosterone in some people, lab error, CSAC conspiracy or mismanagement, etc.
Let's briefly deal with each.
I've written extensively about the potential issues regarding the lightly regulated arena of nutritional supplements and functional foods. Simply put: It's difficult to be certain of what you're really getting since no one is effectively or consistently ensuring or evaluating product integrity.
The anti-doping agencies, WADA and USADA, have addressed these issues by stating the athletes ultimately are responsible for whatever they put into their body – mislabeled, tainted or otherwise:
It is each Athlete's personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substances enter his or her body. Athletes are responsible for any Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers found to be present in their bodily Specimens. Accordingly, it is not necessary that intent, fault, negligence or knowing Use on the Athlete's part be demonstrated in order to establish an anti-doping violation under Article 2.1.
Although it is true that very vigorous physical exertion can transiently increase levels of the male hormone testosterone, it is a very slight increase and not nearly enough to be flagged as a positive test. For the test to be considered positive, we are not talking about just a couple of points over – but rather, multiples of the normal values (greater than six times the test/epi ratio).
Some people do have naturally occurring increased testosterone levels as compared to the standards. But if this is a factor, why were these "naturally occurring increased levels" not detected during Sonnen's tests at UFC 104 or UFC 109, which he passed?
Could this all be due to lab error? Possible, but not likely. The lab in question is the UCLA's Olympic Analytic Lab used by the U.S. and World Anti-Doping agencies. They test both an A and B sample just to check themselves. They happen to be more than 99 percent accurate. I'm no statistician, but I know that to be better than 99 percent accurate twice is no small feat. This is no similar home test or one that you purchased at your local health-food store. This lab is the best of the best.
And my personal favorite? This is all a CSAC conspiracy or mismanagement. I have been critical of past CSAC shenanigans, but there is nothing to suggest that in some way the commission intervened in this process or has any real interest in the outcome of any particular fighter's drug screen. What's in it for CSAC officials? What's their motivation?
The bottom line is that Chael Sonnen failed a highly accurate test evaluated by an impeccable laboratory.
Of course, Sonnen probably knows all this. That may be why, according to a report from SI.com, he alerted Dodd prior to the bout that he had taken an "illegal performance-enhancing drug." Sonnen gave no reason why, but at this point, I don't think he'd use one of the flimsy excuses discussed above anyway.
Dr. Johnny Benjamin is MMAjunkie.com's medical columnist and consultant and a noted combat-sports specialist. He is also a member of the Association of Boxing Commissions' MMA Medical Subcommittee. Dr. Benjamin writes an "Ask the Doc" column every two weeks for MMAjunkie.com. To submit a question for a future column, email him at askthedoc [AT] mmajunkie.com, or share your questions and thoughts in the comments section below. You can find Dr. Benjamin online at www.drjohnnybenjamin.com, and you can read his other sports-related articles at blog.drjohnnybenjamin.com.
California State Athletic Commission officials today stated UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen was likely on performance-enhancing drugs when he met Anderson Silva at UFC 117.