Chael Sonnen 'Wants The Option' Of A Return to MMA
Chael Sonnen 'Wants The Option' Of A Return to MMA
Chael Sonnen returning to MMA? It's a possibility, the former middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger tells Ariel Helwani.
Chael Sonnen isn't counting out a return to MMA.
Rumors ran rife last week in the MMA community that Sonnen would be making a comeback after U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) officials confirmed he had been placed back on the USADA program and had taken two tests.
Speaking with MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani on Monday's episode of the MMA Hour, Sonnen said he would await the test results before even letting himself contemplate a return to the Octagon.
"I jumped back into the testing pool, which is a four-month process," Sonnen said. "I've done two tests, and I don't yet have the results back. To be honest Ariel, I've no idea what they are going to say. I've had substances where one breaks down through your liver and the other one breaks down through your kidneys, and if you take substances that contain those metabolites, the only way you know if they are gone and if you are eligible is if you take the test.
"So I took the test but I don't have the results back and I can tell you straight up that I don't sleep easy at night. Now I only have to pass one. If I can pass the first one, everything else will be fine, but I have to know whether it's out. That's the spot I'm in."
When pushed harder on whether he would return if the test result came back negative, Sonnen wouldn't confirm that he definitely would but implied that it would be likely we see him again in competitive action.
"I would sure like to have that option," Sonnen said. "The whole point [of taking the test] is to have that option. I don't have that option. I'm done unless I can get a license. It's like anything else, you got to be approved to do it, so I would like to have the ability to choose."
Sonnen later confirmed that he had been keeping in shape and that he did still have the drive to compete at the highest level of mixed martial arts.
"I definitely still have it [the itch to return]," Sonnen said. "I think about it all the time, and it never goes away. I've talked to guys who are retired and asked if it ever goes away and if things ever quit haunting you. Randy Couture, for example, he just said, 'Man, you got to learn to deal with it.'
"I definitely have that itch. I fantasize about it, but it's one step at a time. I'm not holding anything back from you. I'm not pretending like my return is breaking news but I have to pass this first test quite frankly. It's still out there, if I pass it, then I pass all of them, but I have to know everything is out —step one down."
Once that part is in check, Sonnen can move to phase two.
"Step two: Get in shape and get ready to go," he said. "I'm there, I'm in shape and I'm ready to go. Step three, be the baddest dude in the world, oh come on, Ariel, come on, buddy. I dominated middleweight. There's never been a middleweight like me. The next closest guy is Anderson Silva, and I get two 10-8 rounds against Anderson Silva. That's just the truth. I have no equal at middleweight."
Sonnen (28-14-1) was given a two-year suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in 2014 after failing two drug tests ahead of a scheduled matchup at UFC 175.
Sonnen tested positive for multiple PEDs including anastrozole, clomifene, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human growth hormone (HGH) and recombinant human erythropoietin.
The first test failure saw the UFC pull him from his scheduled fight and then shortly after, Sonnen publicly retired. The second positive test result then triggered the total termination of his relationship with both the UFC and FOX, where he worked as a host for UFC Tonight.
Since then, Sonnen has taken up a role as a fight analyst at ESPN and has pursued several other business ventures, including his Submission Underground grappling promotion, which debuted July 17 on FloCombat.
While Sonnen chiefly undertook matchmaking and promotional responsibilities in the inaugural Submission Underground event, the American announced last week that he would likely be involved with Submission Underground II, taking on UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy in December.
Rumors ran rife last week in the MMA community that Sonnen would be making a comeback after U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) officials confirmed he had been placed back on the USADA program and had taken two tests.
Speaking with MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani on Monday's episode of the MMA Hour, Sonnen said he would await the test results before even letting himself contemplate a return to the Octagon.
"I jumped back into the testing pool, which is a four-month process," Sonnen said. "I've done two tests, and I don't yet have the results back. To be honest Ariel, I've no idea what they are going to say. I've had substances where one breaks down through your liver and the other one breaks down through your kidneys, and if you take substances that contain those metabolites, the only way you know if they are gone and if you are eligible is if you take the test.
"So I took the test but I don't have the results back and I can tell you straight up that I don't sleep easy at night. Now I only have to pass one. If I can pass the first one, everything else will be fine, but I have to know whether it's out. That's the spot I'm in."
When pushed harder on whether he would return if the test result came back negative, Sonnen wouldn't confirm that he definitely would but implied that it would be likely we see him again in competitive action.
"I would sure like to have that option," Sonnen said. "The whole point [of taking the test] is to have that option. I don't have that option. I'm done unless I can get a license. It's like anything else, you got to be approved to do it, so I would like to have the ability to choose."
Sonnen later confirmed that he had been keeping in shape and that he did still have the drive to compete at the highest level of mixed martial arts.
"I definitely still have it [the itch to return]," Sonnen said. "I think about it all the time, and it never goes away. I've talked to guys who are retired and asked if it ever goes away and if things ever quit haunting you. Randy Couture, for example, he just said, 'Man, you got to learn to deal with it.'
"I definitely have that itch. I fantasize about it, but it's one step at a time. I'm not holding anything back from you. I'm not pretending like my return is breaking news but I have to pass this first test quite frankly. It's still out there, if I pass it, then I pass all of them, but I have to know everything is out —step one down."
Once that part is in check, Sonnen can move to phase two.
"Step two: Get in shape and get ready to go," he said. "I'm there, I'm in shape and I'm ready to go. Step three, be the baddest dude in the world, oh come on, Ariel, come on, buddy. I dominated middleweight. There's never been a middleweight like me. The next closest guy is Anderson Silva, and I get two 10-8 rounds against Anderson Silva. That's just the truth. I have no equal at middleweight."
Sonnen (28-14-1) was given a two-year suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in 2014 after failing two drug tests ahead of a scheduled matchup at UFC 175.
Sonnen tested positive for multiple PEDs including anastrozole, clomifene, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human growth hormone (HGH) and recombinant human erythropoietin.
The first test failure saw the UFC pull him from his scheduled fight and then shortly after, Sonnen publicly retired. The second positive test result then triggered the total termination of his relationship with both the UFC and FOX, where he worked as a host for UFC Tonight.
Since then, Sonnen has taken up a role as a fight analyst at ESPN and has pursued several other business ventures, including his Submission Underground grappling promotion, which debuted July 17 on FloCombat.
While Sonnen chiefly undertook matchmaking and promotional responsibilities in the inaugural Submission Underground event, the American announced last week that he would likely be involved with Submission Underground II, taking on UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy in December.