Chael Sonnen Talks About Gaming the System on Drug Tests

Chael Sonnen is effectively retired from MMA, but that didn’t stop him from competing in grappling at Metamoris 4 this past weekend. The NSAC threatened him if he were to compete that they might levy a $250,000 fine against him, but we are still waiting with baited breath on that one. Chael Sonnen appeared on Chris Jericho’s podcast and decided to talk about his failed drug tests and why he failed.

“I didn’t think I’d be tested for another 44 days,” Sonnen said of the random, pre-fight drug tests for which he was caught. “I tried to game the system.

“I was hit on a surprise test that was 44 days before a fight,” Sonnen continued. “Generally in our business we’re tested fight night, so whatever it is you’re doing or you’re not doing, you gotta show up clean on fight day. When I talk about being dirty, I’m not talking about steroids or illegal drugs. I gotta make this distinction, if you ever failed a drug test, you are automatically taking something illegal and they were steroids, that’s just the way it works in people’s minds. Well, first off, none of them were illegal, and none of them were steroids, but I never offered a defense. I turned in my prescriptions. I got this from the doctor, this was valid stuff, but, these are still against the rules, I knew it. “

This is of course the Chael Sonnen that we know and love, so he’s defending himself as taking legal things, but he’s also talking about how he tried to do it so they wouldn’t catch him, with is alarmingly honest. [source]