After failing a drug test in 2014, Chael Sonnen claimed to have been retired from the sport of MMA. Ever since then, he's largely shown signs of sticking to that despite being asked regarding the matter multiple times. He has mostly kept himself occupied with various other endeavors, such as being the color commentator for World Series of Fighting and recently spearheading the new submission grappling event series, Submission Underground.
And now - like many things in this sport - his tone appears to have changed from one day to the next. On an appearance on this week's MMA Hour, the former middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger admitted he would consider returning if he was able to pass one rather important obstacle: the stringent testing implemented by USADA. (Starting around the 1:06:00 mark).
"I fantasize about it. But it's one step at a time. I'm not holding back from you. I'm not acting like my return is some kind of breaking news. I'd tell it to you right now. But I have to pass this first test, quite frankly. It's still out there. I've gotta pass it. If I pass that, I'll pass all of them. But I have to know that everything is out. Boom, step one down."
Worth noting is the fact that Sonnen also was on Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) while it was permitted with the request and approval of a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), all of which was permitted but have since been banned by athletic commissions across the country. Sonnen addressed that aspect of the situation as well:
"In the testosterone days when we were allowed to take testosterone, that made really good sense. Now, of course that got murky and guys took advantage of it and it completely backfired. But it made good sense, because the world of sport right now belongs to 18-to-25-year-olds. Science has stepped in and goes "not so fast, we can actually continue to give you what your body gave you naturally at a later time." So you're seeing guys that are able to extend their careers. That's a pretty cool. Guys started to manipulate that and they had to do away with it."
Sonnen was found to have human chronic gonadotropin (hCG), EPO, anastrozole and human growth hormone (HGH) in that round of tests that ultimately lead to his possibly short-lived retirement.
Sonnen's last fight was a TKO loss to former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at UFC 167 in November of 2013 and his record currently stands at 29-14 with 1 draw. Whether or not the UFC would agree to have him back is yet to be seen.
Get the latest gear
