When asked if he has any intentions of making a return to the Octagon when his two-year Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) suspension is up, which has already happened, for whatever reason, Chael Sonnen has apparently changed his tune.
During his appearance on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com, Sonnen revealed that he has submitted a request to return to the USADA drug-testing pool, and if things go well and he passes his initial tests, he intends to make a fighting return in the UFC.
“I definitely have that itch,” Sonnen told Helwani. “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.
“Step two, get in shape, get ready to go — I’m there. I’m in shape, I’m ready to go. Step three, be the baddest dude in the world. C’mon, Ariel. C’mon, buddy. I dominated — this is just a fact. I dominated middleweight. There has never been a middleweight like me. The next closest guy is Anderson Silva. I’ve got two 10-8 rounds against Anderson Silva. That’s just the truth. I have no equal at middleweight.”
Although he has been out of the game for the last two years due to the aforementioned NAC suspension, the fighter-turned-fight-analyst hasn’t lost his sense of humor, as evidenced by his sarcastic comments regarding his desire to be tested differently than everybody else in the promotion.
“I don’t want to be tested like everybody else,” Sonnen said. “I want it to be on a curve. I’d like a curved system. Oh, you had seven things last time, this time you’ve only got three. That’s pretty good. That’s the kind of test I’m looking for. And I’m not sure that’s out there.”
Much like Brock Lesnar, Chael Sonnen came up dirty on two separate tests, as in May 2014, he tested positive in an out-of-competition drug test when anastrozole and clomiphene was found in his system ahead of his scheduled fight against fellow TUF Brazil 3 coach Wanderlei Silva at the UFC 175 pay-per-view. A couple of weeks later, Sonnen popped hot again, with human growth hormone (HGH), recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) and anastrozole found in his system.
