UFC
Chael Sonnen says if he can't find a working alternative for TRT, he "may have to stop the sport, and it's as simple as that"
Mar 5, 2014 - 11:00:19 PM Chael Sonnen says if he can't find a working alternative for TRT, he "may have to stop the sport, and it's as simple as that"

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Wednesday's latest edition of "UFC Tonight" on Fox Sports 1 took up the topic of Nevada's athletic commission banning testosterone replacement therapy, and the new landscape in the sport for those who have been on the controversial treatment.

One of those names was on the panel, with Chael Sonnen given a chance to address the issue of what's going to happen now that TRT has been banned.

"There's a lot of moving parts, I don't have all the information, the bottom line is testosterone is out," Sonnen began as the discussion started on Vitor Belfort. "Now, as it relates to Vitor, I think that this was a very genuine and sincere thing for him. Here's a problem that I have. A fighter that said seven days ago 'I need TRT or I can't do this' and then all of a sudden goes 'well, I'll just stop TRT.' I find that very disingenuous. For Vitor to say 'look, they've changed the rules, and I, for now at least, need to take myself out' - I am potentially in that same field."

"If this retires guys, then it retires guys," he continued. "The rules are the rules and the rules need to be followed. I personally - sorry to be long-winded on this - but I'm going through this myself, where I've had to stop with testosterone with the hope that we can find a new way to gain results of upping testosterone to stay in at a healthy level."

"If it doesn't work, I may have to stop the sport, and it's as simple as that."

Sonnen said he needs to get with his management and his doctors to figure out if there's a treatment method that can help his low testosterone reach normal levels under what the commission will allow.

"An athlete should not have to choose between sport or health," Sonnen said. "It should be a combination of both."

Penick's Analysis: The problem with all of the diagnoses of low testosterone, especially for those who were initially granted exemptions in Nevada, is the way in which they were diagnosed and prescribed the treatment. In many cases, the diagnoses have been suspect, at best, made by non-endocrinologists or anti-aging doctors pushing testosterone therapies before other options. And then, once the fighters were on TRT, they're told they need the treatment for life to maintain testosterone levels. Unfortunately for those who were actually going through the process by the book, the issues over exemptions being too readily available negate even the legitimate diagnoses. For Sonnen, who already described how poorly his body would deal without testosterone therapy, he'll have to find something that works or he won't be fighting anymore, and that's just a reality of the situation post-TRT ban.

[Chael Sonnen art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]