Although over the past few months there has been a lot of rumblings both ways regarding whether or not Chael Sonnen will return to active MMA competition when his Nevada Athletic Commission suspension is up in 2016, “The American Gangster” himself recently made it clear which way he is leaning.
Chael Sonnen’s retirement from mixed martial arts came about in an odd way. He announced After the Nevada Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy without a plan to wean fighters off safely, Sonnen tested positive for anastrozole and clomiphene. They’re banned substances, but it was n surprise he was on them because they’re widely used for boosting a man’s testosterone production without replacement therapy. He said if he can’t be healthy and fight, he had to retire, so he did. The drugs are banned more because they show someone was using steroids, but since he was using steroids with approval until TRT was banned, it seemed like he’d get a light sentence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD_BCrGYoMM
Then another test came back. He was positive not only for HCG (another drug that boosts testosterone production in men) but also HGH and EPO, which are undeniably performance enhancers. He got a two year suspension and sometimes made noise about an eventual return.
Recently on the MMA Hour (h/t BloodyElbow), he completely ruled out a return, saying “”I am not coming back.” Sonnen expanded on his comment by explaining that “I am not putting a toe in the water. I don’t know how to speak any more clear. Am I getting the itch? Man, I never really lose it. When I go to bed at night, I do still fantasize about that. But I fantasize about a lot of things.”
Sonnen is currently working for ESPN and World Series of Fighting as an analyst.
