Chael Sonnen was handed a two year suspension yesterday at a Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing after failing two random drugs tests recently prior to a fight at UFC 175.
In addition Sonnen will have to pay for the cost of the drugs tests and has agreed to accept a role as an educator for both the commission and other fighters regarding the issue of performance enhancing drugs.
Given that other potential charges that were on the table included a lifetime ban and a $250,000 fine, Sonnen may consider himself lucky with the outcome.
At the hearing Sonnen plead guilty to having taken five banned performance enhancing drugs, anastrozole, clomifene, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human growth hormone (HGH) and recombinant human erythropoietin, and accepted his punishment without argument.
“I don’t want to say anything that comes off as an excuse, because I’m guilty,” Sonnen told the commission. “I’m ashamed.”
Sonnen’s ban is something of a mute point at this stage as the 37 year-old opted to retire from the sport when word of his second failed test emerged in June.
It appears that he will still compete in some capacity though as he’s scheduled to headline Metamoris 4, a BJJ Grappling tournament on August 9th opposite Andre Galvao, an event that falls outwith the remit of NSAC’s ban.
Sonnen has however been hit hard by the fact that the UFC and FOX Sports also terminated his broadcasting deal last month as a result of his indiscretions.
