NYSAC declines to clarify anti-doping plan for Sonnen and Silva
If you believe Cus D’Amato was right when he said, “People who are born round don’t die square,” then Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva should be subject to random, comprehensive, out-of-competition testing.
Chael Sonnen was suspended for two years for doping. Wanderlei Silva was suspended for three years, for literally running from an anti-doping test. The pair fight in the main event of Bellator 180 on June 24 at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY. If you believe Cus D’Amato was right when he said, “People who are born round don’t die square,” then Sonnen and Silva should be subject to random, comprehensive, out-of-competition testing.
Traditionally, athletic commissions only tested at most on fight weekend, via one of the less expensive urine tests. It wasn’t random, it wasn’t comprehensive, and it wasn’t out of competition. It was more an IQ test than a PED test. Imagine if you were a bad guy and the police said, “Ok buster, we are going to be frisking you on June 5th or 6th (but no other time).” You’d carry around whatever you wanted almost all of the time. And the sport did.
The UFC instituted arguably the toughest anti-doping system in all of sports. All other promotions, including Bellator MMA, leave it up to the commissions.
When you look at our policy, our policy is to work with the athletic commission and to abide by their testing, said Bellator MMA CEO Scott Coker recently, as transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. … When we huddle up with the New York State Athletic Commission, we’ll find out what they want to do and we’ll make it happen.
Some commissions, like Nevada and California, take testing seriously, and test out of competition. When Chael Sonnen returned from suspension and fought Tito Ortiz in California in January, the California State Athletic Commission made him submit a test as a precondition of licensing, tested him randomly twice, and tested him again on fight night.
Wand vs. Sonnen takes place in New York. Raimondi reached out to the New York State Athletic Commission for details on what level of testing the pair might be subject to, or not.
The Commission’s normal practice is to conduct testing on any athlete who has a history of doping violations every time they compete in the State of New York, wrote New York Department of State spokesperson Laz Benitez.
When Mr. Benitez was asked to comment on what level of testing Silva and Sonnen would be subject to, he had no further comment.