Sherdog.com’s 2014 Story of the Year
The Sonnen-Silva-Belfort Debacle
3. The Sonnen-Silva-Belfort Debacle
The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in February to ban the use of testosterone replacement therapy in the state. Shortly thereafter, the UFC followed suit for international events under the promotion’s jurisdiction.
That same day, Vitor Belfort, who compiled a highlight-reel of TRT-infused knockouts in 2013 en route to a middleweight title shot, withdrew from a UFC 173 bout against Chris Weidman, citing a need to adjust to the commission’s new regulations. That was only the beginning of the UFC and NAC’s extended war on performance-enhancing drugs. When all was said and done, the TRT ban and a beefed-up random drug testing program would greatly alter the careers of three major power players: Belfort, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva. Sonnen and Silva, bitter rivals and opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3,” were expected to square off at the show’s finale on May 31, but that bout was moved to UFC 175 when Silva suffered a wrist injury during an altercation with Sonnen on the reality show.
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Less than a month out from UFC 175, the drama continued, as Sonnen tested positive for two illegal substances -- Anastrozole and Clomiphene -- resulting in his removal from the card. The self-proclaimed “Gangster from West Linn” retired the next day.
“I want to stay within the rules, and I don’t fully understand
them. I have to put my health first. I have to put my family
first,” he said.
Both Silva and Sonnen appeared before the NAC on June 17. Silva admitted to fleeing a random drug test in May. His explanation: He did not want to test positive for a diuretic he was taking to treat his wrist injury. The newly-retired Sonnen, who received a temporary suspension from the NAC, was fired from his analyst position with Fox Sports. He would eventually resurface as an analyst for ESPN.
Meanwhile, the writing was on the wall for Silva. Regardless of how his lawyer might have spun the story, dodging a drug test put the Pride Fighting Championships veteran at the top of the NAC’s naughty list. While Silva might have been in denial about the direction of those proceedings, others saw the future in more black-and-white terms.
“I think he’s in big trouble. You cannot run away from a test,” UFC President Dana White said. “You can't do it, and it sets a very bad precedent. He would have been better off taking the test and testing positive than running from the test.”
Eventually, Silva followed Sonnen’s lead. Approximately one month after the postponement of a scheduled August disciplinary hearing, he announced his retirement from MMA, claiming the UFC robbed him of his desire to fight. A few days later, the NAC fined Silva $70,000 and handed him a lifetime ban for avoiding the drug test. Silva was not present at the hearing where his punishment was announced.
The NAC seemed to treat Belfort more kindly than Silva or Sonnen -- although that perception may change come Feb. 28. “The Phenom” delivered an emotional speech before the commission in July, and while he received a stern warning in response, he also received a license to fight -- provided he subjects himself to random drug testing for the rest of his career. After the hearing, Belfort’s new, more age-appropriate physique became the butt of jokes on social media. How he fares, sans TRT, against middleweight champion Weidman at UFC 184 could be quite revealing. For now, he has something on Sonnen and Silva: He us still competing. For how long and at what level remains to be seen.
“With the fighters, whoever wants to be in the spotlight and fight for a title, whoever wants to get something, they’ve got to follow the rules,” Belfort said.
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