UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen’s original one-year suspension from the UFC (for failing a pre-fight urine drug test for UFC 117 bout) has been cut in half to only six months during his appeal with the California state athletic commission.
Following the dirty test results (the legal theshold for forementioned drug is 4.0 while Sonnen’s test showed his testosterone to epitestosteron level was 16.9) Sonnen and his legal team, lawyers Howard Jacobs and Steven J. Thompson, defended the outcome by explaining Sonnen was taking testosterone injections for Testosterone Replacement Therapy. Sonnen’s doctor backed up the claim confirming that athlete’s Sonnen’s age do occassionally need such a treatment. The CSAC seemed to not argue the reasons behind the usage, but that Sonnen did not disclose his use of the banned substance in the proper fashion with UFC officials.
Sonnen had told commissioner George Dodd about his use of the drug on the day of his weigh-in for UFC 117 but he had not, however, reported it on his pre-fight medical. California assistant AG Alfredo Terrazas explained that Sonnen did not go through the proper steps to clear his TRT usage. For that reason alone. Sonnen’s suspension was upheld leaving him eligible for return in the beginning of March 2011. Commission members voted for the reduced penalty however 3-1 after the four deadlocked on upholding his original one-year suspension.
Originally Anderson Silva was to meet up with Sonnen in the octagon, so there very well may be a rematch in early 2011 right away for the middleweight title as soon as Sonnen is cleared to fight upon returning from his suspension. Vitor Belfort is said to challenge Silva while Sonnen is still out of commission.
