Monday, September 20, 2010
by Greg Savage (greg@sherdog.com)
27009
California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer George Dodd, speaking during a break in Monday’s commission meeting, told Sherdog.com that UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen’s positive test resulted from a “steroid substance.”
The test for performance-enhancing drugs and some drugs-of-abuse are regularly administered on pre-fight samples of the athlete’s urine in California.
Dodd was unwilling to divulge what substance caused the result, pending further consultation with state doctors. He did state that he hopes to have a statement after the CSAC’s lunch break later this afternoon.
“I have it but I haven’t really reviewed it yet, it is a steroid substance,” said Dodd.
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times quoted Dodd as saying that the test came back positive due to the presence of a “natural steroid.” The commission chief contradicted the report.
“No,” said the Executive Officer. “I don’t believe it is a natural steroid.”
The commission, according to Dodd, first received notice of the test result on or around Sept. 2, and took about two weeks to re-confirm the result. This is standard operating procedure for the regulatory body and explains the 41-day lag time between Sonnen’s championship bout with Anderson Silva at UFC 117 and his notice of testing positive.
Per commission protocol, Sonnen has 30 days to respond to the notice and lodge an appeal of his $2,500 fine and year-long suspension. He has not contacted the commission yet, but if he does decide to challenge the result his hearing will most likely come somewhere near the end of November or early December.
Dodd also informed Sherdog.com that the UFC, via vice-president Marc Ratner, was informed that an unnamed fighter was flagged for a positive test Saturday morning. He said Ratner confided that they were already aware of Sonnen’s impending suspension.
