UFC star Chael Sonnen has admitted during the most recent edition of the ‘UFC Tonight’ show on FOX Sports 1 that the recent ban on Testosterone Replacement Therapy in combat sports may lead to him having to retire.
Sonnen is one of the most high profile fighters to have legally been granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption to use TRT in the UFC in recent years, but now that this option is no longer on the table it’s left him uncertain of what the future holds.
Read the full transcript of what he had to say below.
“There’s a lot of moving parts. I don’t have all the answers. The bottom line is testosterone is out. Now, as it relates to Vitor, I think this was a very genuine and sincere thing for him. Here’s the problem that I have: a fighter that said seven days ago, ‘I need TRT or I can’t do this,’ and then all of a sudden goes, ‘Well, I’ll just stop TRT.’ I find that very disingenuous.
“I am potentially in that same field. If this retires guys, then it retires guys. The rules are the rules, and the rules need to be followed. Personally, sorry to be long winded about this, but I’m going through this myself, where I’ve had to stop testosterone with the hope that we can find a new way to gain the results of upping testosterone to stay at a healthy level. If it doesn’t work, I may have to stop the sport. And it’s as simple as that.”
Sonnen’s next fight is scheduled to be against Wanderlei Silva in Brazil on May 31st.
Initially it was thought that Sonnen’s fight may not fall under the new TRT ban since Brazil has it’s own Fight Commission who could choose not to apply the rule, but they have since confirmed that they will be following the NSAC and UFC’s lead and will be banning TRT use.
Meanwhile, his opponent has indicated he’s actually not bothered whether Sonnen uses TRT or not, he just wants the chance to finally fight his rival.
“Sonnen can use whatever he wants,” Silva told Fight.ag. “For my sake, he can use TRT, even TNT. I will kick his ass anyway.”
Watch Sonnen’s segment on the UFC Tonight show via the video below.
