Strip away the standard UFC uniform and the Fox press credentials, and Chael Sonnen is a different man. Like a naked Superman wrapped in a Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth. Because Chael Sonnen is about to be completely honest. Not “Chael Sonnen honest.” No, I’m talking regular guy honest. Regular guy on the streets of someplace other than West Linn honest.
According to Chael, he tested positive because he thought he had 44 days to get clean.
“I didn’t think I’d be tested for another 44 days,” he said in an interview with Chris Jericho, as transcribed by Dave Doyle at MMAfighting.com.
“I tried to game the system . . . Generally in our business we’re tested fight night, so whatever it is you’re doing or you’re not doing, you gotta show up clean on fight day.”
Well Thai kick me on the ass and call me Sally. Chael is being completely candid. How refreshing.
Not so fast! Those prescriptions the American Gangster was taking? They were completely valid. Technically, they were against the rules. Yes, I’ll give you that. But valid, nonetheless.
“Well, first off, none of them were illegal, and none of them were steroids, but I never offered a defense. I turned in my prescriptions. I got this from the doctor, this was valid stuff, but, these are still against the rules, I knew it.”
That’s good news. Because for a minute there, I was afraid I’d lost a little respect for Sonnen. But his papers are in order. It’s right there in writing. The law is clear. Release this man from custody!
Seriously though, he is being pretty candid. At least in Chael Sonnen terms, which is something anyway.
“I’m a grown man,” he continued. “I knew what I was doing. I thought I could have my cake and eat it too. I can take this, I can feel great, they make me feel good, and that’s one of the problems I have. They go ‘these are performance enhancers.’ I go, ‘guys, why else am I taking it?’ I’m showing up to the doctors saying doc ‘do you have anything to make me feel worse?'”
Now how about we all agree that even if Chael probably shouldn’t be fighting, he should be talking. After all, he wasn’t caught using testosterone lip gloss. That gift he has from the chin up and the hair down is completely natural. So release the doves, and set his voice free.
