CSAC: Sonnen Positive for PEDs at UFC 117
Greg Savage Sep 19, 2010
According to California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer
George Dodd, Chael Sonnen
has been notified that he failed post-fight drug screening
following his loss to Anderson
Silva at UFC
117, which was held Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland,
Calif.
“[Sonnen] received his notice yesterday,” Dodd told Sherdog.com shortly after the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora boxing match ended Saturday night in Los Angeles.
In a conversation the day before, Dodd declined to comment on the
situation, other than answering that all fighters from UFC 117 had
passed drugs-of-abuse scans, but that the commission was still
waiting on performance-enhancing drug screens from the event.
Dodd did not state which banned substance was red-flagged, but with a clean drugs-of-abuse scan it is clear the positive test was for a performance-enhancing substance.
Sonnen is staring at a long layoff if he elects not to appeal or is denied. He was scheduled to rematch Silva Feb. 6 in Las Vegas, but that fight may be delayed or scrapped in light of these allegations.
Text messages to Sonnen went unreturned.
His manager Matt Lindland told Sherdog.com that he was cornering a fighter on the East Coast and had no knowledge of the positive test results.
Silva’s manager Ed Soares, who engaged in some heated exchanges via the media in the build up to the fight, was stunned when asked for his reaction.
“If it’s true, I feel really bad for him,” said Soares. “I know he did it to himself but it is really sad, he put on such a great performance that night. It is just a shame it will be tarnished.”
Jeff Sherwood contributed to this report
“[Sonnen] received his notice yesterday,” Dodd told Sherdog.com shortly after the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora boxing match ended Saturday night in Los Angeles.
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Dodd did not state which banned substance was red-flagged, but with a clean drugs-of-abuse scan it is clear the positive test was for a performance-enhancing substance.
The last major UFC banned-substance case in the state centered on
UFC 73’s lightweight title match, which saw both competitors --
Sean
Sherk and Hermes
Franca -- test positive for PEDs. Both fighters were suspended
for one year and fined, though Sherk appealed and had his
suspension shortened to six months.
Sonnen is staring at a long layoff if he elects not to appeal or is denied. He was scheduled to rematch Silva Feb. 6 in Las Vegas, but that fight may be delayed or scrapped in light of these allegations.
Text messages to Sonnen went unreturned.
His manager Matt Lindland told Sherdog.com that he was cornering a fighter on the East Coast and had no knowledge of the positive test results.
Silva’s manager Ed Soares, who engaged in some heated exchanges via the media in the build up to the fight, was stunned when asked for his reaction.
“If it’s true, I feel really bad for him,” said Soares. “I know he did it to himself but it is really sad, he put on such a great performance that night. It is just a shame it will be tarnished.”
Jeff Sherwood contributed to this report
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