UFC No. 1 heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem produced a testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio of 14:1 in his failed urine test, Nevada state athletic commission executive director Keith Kizer told MMA Fighting on Thursday, shortly after he learned of the final result.
The average male produces a T/E ratio around 1:1. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) uses a 4:1 standard for positive tests, and NSAC uses 6:1 as its cutoff, a number used by WADA up until 2006.
In NSAC’s original statement announcing the flagged result, Overeem was said to have tested at a level higher than 10:1.
Overeem has the right to ask for his B-sample to be tested to ensure the accuracy of the result. That would likely trigger a carbon isotope ratio test, which would determine whether the testosterone in his body was natural or synthetic.
Because Overeem (36-11, 1 no contest) is unlicensed in Nevada, he cannot be punished for the test, but he would face an uphill task in trying to gain a license to fight Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146 as originally scheduled.
Overeem’s number is slightly lower than that of Chael Sonnen when he was caught with an elevated level in 2010. Sonnen, who lost to Anderson Silva the day after the test was taken, produced a sample with a 16.9:1 ratio.
To date, the UFC has still not addressed any potential replacement for Overeem, though a source with knowledge of the situation said the promotion would most likely choose former champion Frank Mir to face dos Santos.
UFC 146 takes place on May 26 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.