Chael Sonnen: Alistair Overeem did not test positive for anything

Tuesday night Chael Sonnen came to the defense of under-fire Heavyweight Alistair Overeem, who awaits the decision of the NSAC concerning his license to fight at UFC 146. Blaming the media, Sonnen essentially considered Overeem’s issue to be an overblown phenomenon created by MMA media. Familiar with the issue of elevated T:E levels, Sonnen had the following to say on Fuel TV’s “UFC Tonight”:

“Congratulations to MMA media, right when I think your incompetence can’t get to any higher level, the Alistair Overeem story comes out. You kids on the interweb, running your little ‘dot com’s’ from the couch in your mother’s basement, you beneficiaries of Mark Cuban’s tax write-off, you’ve gone and screwed up the Alistair Overeem case, beyond belief. Is it repairable? I doubt it.”

Sonnen’s anger at the subject seems to stem from the exact definition of the failed test in question, something that Overeem’s manager addressed earlier this week. No official announcement has been made, but it seems that if Overeem did not test positive for elevated testosterone or any other banned substance, the defense of TRT will come to the forefront.

“Hey. If I’m a member of the media and someone tells me that Alistair Overeem failed a drug test, the very first thing I’m going to say is: ‘Really? What substance did he test positive for?’ Now, you see, those basic questions are where the wheels begin to fall off the bus to this entire story. Alistair Overeem did not test positive for anything. End of story. So why is his name getting drug through the mud? Why are they saying, ‘Well, he’s got an elevated T-to-E ratio. Ok, fair enough. Let’s say his T-to-E ratio is outside the norm. That’s not illegal. That’s outside the norm. That’s a red flag. That is a red flag, and Alistair will owe an explanation. If it’s not against the rules, why are we having this conversation? MMA Media: Ya failed!”

It appears that many fine lines are being walked regarding what is illegal and frowned upon, with Sonnen coming to the side of Overeem. Perhaps this is due to his own dealings with TRT after he was found to have 16.9:1 T:E levels after his hard-fought loss against Anderson Silva in 2010. It is true that no specific substances have been found in Overeem’s test as of yet, just the red flags that Sonnen mentioned. Again, the debate over TRT rages on. Did Alistair Overeem do wrong here, or is he playing just inside the rules?