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Chael Sonnen accepts responsibility, waives right to NSAC hearing

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Chael Sonnen has taken responsibility for a pair of failed drug tests and said he won’t appeal the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s complaint against him.

Sonnen, on behalf of his lawyer and legal rep, wrote to the Nevada attorney general’s office that he “does not dispute any of the factual allegations” in an amended complaint filed this past month and “accepts responsibility for his actions and will comply with the commission in the prompt resolution of this matter.”

The three-time UFC title challenger and now-retired fighter also waived his right to a hearing, but said he would appear if the NSAC called him to receive any punishment for the quintet of banned substances found in his system prior to a scheduled UFC 175 fight with Vitor Belfort.

The full response can be read here.

Sonnen, 37, faces fines, the suspension of his Nevada license and expenses related to the complaint. He could also be required to provide a clean drug test upon his next licensing application, if he ever reapplies.

Sonnen’s rep, Jeff Myer, asked the commission to consider a variety of factors when deciding the fighter’s punishment, including his cooperation with random testing, honesty when confronted with the findings, and the fact that “Sonnen did not compete while on the banned substances mentioned in the First Amended Complaint.”

Myer also writes that his relationship with the UFC and FOX – where he served as a UFC analyst – have been “terminated” as the result of his actions and that he “no longer has any endorsement relations.”

The NSAC is likely to review Sonnen’s case at a regular meeting on July 23 in Las Vegas.

Sonnen (28-14-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC) was originally scheduled to fight Wanderlei Silva at the July 5 pay-per-view event, but Silva was scratched after he reportedly dodged a random drug test and was replaced by Belfort, who himself faced licensing scrutiny due to a previous failure and relationship with the now-banned testosterone-replacement therapy.

A random NSAC test on May 24 revealed the presence of banned substances anastrozole and clomifiene, which prompted Sonnen’s removal from the event. He admitted using the substances to wean himself off of TRT following the NSAC’s ban of the treatment and said he took them to deal with fertility issues.

A subsequent random test on June 6, however, provided the most damning evidence against Sonnen when the performance-enhancing drugs human growth hormone (HGH), recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were found in his system.

On June 17, the NSAC temporarily suspended Sonnen pending a formal hearing on the matter.

FOX subsequently terminated Sonnen’s broadcast contract, and the fighter disappeared from the public eye. UFC President Dana White said this past week that the fighter is “laying low” and isn’t in dire financial straights due to previous payouts.

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