It’s been over a week since news broke of Alistair Overeemfailing his random pre-fight drug test, and the Reem has been quiet as a mouse ever since. Now would be a good time for him to start making the media rounds with an explanation, or an apology, or at least an acknowledgment that he failed the test and potentially wrecked a massive UFC heavyweight title fight. So what does this big son-of-a-bitch do? He goes on Spike TV’s MMA Uncenscored Live on Thursday, on the condition that he won’t discuss the drug-test situation in any way, and instead gives a straight interview about his matchup with Junior Dos Santos, which again, probably won’t happen.
Luckily, the hosts didn’t swallow the bullshit. “Either P90X really, really works, or the man was putting something in his body,” said host Craig Carton, looking at side-to-side photos of Overeem from 2005 and 2012. Nate Quarry agreed, saying “You’ve got to be very naive to take a look at those pictures and think he’s not using performance enhancing ‘supplements.’ Let’s just say he can put on 40 to 50 pounds of pure muscle in about four to five years — when 20 pounds of that is directly on your head, that’s an issue.”
It’s been over a week since news broke of Alistair Overeemfailing his random pre-fight drug test, and the Reem has been quiet as a mouse ever since. Now would be a good time for him to start making the media rounds with an explanation, or an apology, or at least an acknowledgment that he failed the test and potentially wrecked a massive UFC heavyweight title fight. So what does this big son-of-a-bitch do? He goes on Spike TV’s MMA Uncenscored Live on Thursday, on the condition that he won’t discuss the drug-test situation in any way, and instead gives a straight interview about his matchup with Junior Dos Santos, which again, probably won’t happen.
Luckily, the hosts didn’t swallow the bullshit. “Either P90X really, really works, or the man was putting something in his body,” said host Craig Carton, looking at side-to-side photos of Overeem from 2005 and 2012. Nate Quarry agreed, saying “You’ve got to be very naive to take a look at those pictures and think he’s not using performance enhancing ‘supplements.’ Let’s just say he can put on 40 to 50 pounds of pure muscle in about four to five years — when 20 pounds of that is directly on your head, that’s an issue.”
When Mike Straka reminds his colleagues that it was just testosterone that Overeem came up positive for, he basically gets laughed off the set. Still, one of Straka’s lines earlier in the segment says it all: “There’s gonna have to be a miracle for him to get licensed to fight.”
Right now, that “miracle” would be the NSAC accepting some manufactured “testosterone deficiency/replacement therapy” excuse, just so the UFC doesn’t lose out on a massive payday. As much as we’d all like to see Overeem and JDS collide like a crazed pair of bull elephant seals, it would be a joke if this fight proceeds as planned.
(“Taking testosterone is no different than Flintstone vitamins. Ask Cris Santos.”)
Chael Sonnen made a stop by SPIKE TV last night and sort of addressed his TRT use exemption and the suspension he received following his UFC 117 title fight with Anderson Silva for failing to disclose to California State Athletic Commission officials that he took the hormone prior to the bout.
Host Craig Carton segued into the topic while they were discussing Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s recent revelation that he is on the youth tonic as well. Sonnen was quick to point out that there are plenty of other substances that are better performance-enhancing-wise, but then denied that testosterone was a performance enhancer. Classic contradictory and convoluted Chael.
“There’s two things there. Hold on. If you’re gonna associate the guy with TRT, make sure you also associate the fact that it’s legal and it’s not banned. Second thing with TRT is people are really getting confused. They look at TRT and they’re missing the stuff that really is good,” Sonnen explained. “TRT is eight, nine, 10 on the list of things that a person could take to help their careers go along. Secondly, any time a person says ‘performance enhancer,’ stop talking to them, because they don’t have the intellect to debate with you.”
(“Taking testosterone is no different than Flintstone vitamins. Ask Cris Santos.”)
Chael Sonnen made a stop by SPIKE TV last night and sort of addressed his TRT use exemption and the suspension he received following his UFC 117 title fight with Anderson Silva for failing to disclose to California State Athletic Commission officials that he took the hormone prior to the bout.
Host Craig Carton segued into the topic while they were discussing Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s recent revelation that he is on the youth tonic as well. Sonnen was quick to point out that there are plenty of other substances that are better performance-enhancing-wise, but then denied that testosterone was a performance enhancer. Classic contradictory and convoluted Chael.
“There’s two things there. Hold on. If you’re gonna associate the guy with TRT, make sure you also associate the fact that it’s legal and it’s not banned. Second thing with TRT is people are really getting confused. They look at TRT and they’re missing the stuff that really is good,” Sonnen explained. “TRT is eight, nine, 10 on the list of things that a person could take to help their careers go along. Secondly, any time a person says ‘performance enhancer,’ stop talking to them, because they don’t have the intellect to debate with you.”
Then “The Gangster from America” went on to say that he wouldn’t take a substance if it didn’t better his performance.
“I wanna make this point: I would never take anything, ever, if I didn’t think it would help my performance,” Chael said. “That’s what medicine is in 21st century America. Imagine if you go to the doctor and say, ‘Doc, I’m feeling great. You got anything that can bring me down a notch?’ That’s malpractice. It’s all meant to help your performance.”
So what is it, is T a performance enhancer or not? Carton believes it is when the athlete has enhanced levels of it in his or her system when they compete, and he calls Chael on it since his levels were curiously high for the Silva fight.
“No, no, no. Absolutely not. Not only did I not take more of it [before the fight], I was never even accused of that. Josh Gross, who’s incompetent beyond measure, went on ESPN and said that I did, so it became my reality, so I went with it,” he pointed out. “I was never even accused of that. The final thought it this: Is it legal or is it not legal? If a person’s taking a legal substance, that’s the end of the conversation. Testosterone is legal.”
So Josh Gross and Kenny Rice are now on Chael’s “do not talk to” list. It’s a pretty safe bet that Carton will be added to it now too, especially after cracking a joke that Sonnen tested for higher test levels than an elephant for the fight.
“You’re makin’ that up. You’re sounding a lot like Josh Gross. You absolutely did not [see the test results]. [CSAC] is a government agency. I was extremely transparent. I was never even accused of [taking too much testosterone before the fight],” Sonnen corrected. “Josh Gross reported that. It was a non-disclosure issue. I don’t know how they would have handled it [if I had won the title], because at the end of the day I was punished.”
Thankfully the UFC didn’t have to cross that bridge. Having to call Anderson in to Zuffa HQ so Dana could hand him a big fancily wrapped package to open with the belt in it would have been awkward, especially when everyone jumped out and yelled, “Surprise!!!” It would have made for an entertaining video blog by Dana, though.
Nick Diaz has been out of the public eye since his close UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit and subsequent announcement by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he had tested positive for marijuana metabolites, so when we heard he was going to break his silence on SPIKE’s new MMA Uncensored show last night, we tuned in to hear what he had to say.
Unfortunately we were disappointed since he did not address the positive test or retirement and really didn’t say much about the Condit fight except that he thinks the judges in the sport choose their favorites to win and that he still feels he won the fight.
“Well, I never said anything about pursuing boxing. I [haven’t] really said much about anything about what I’m gonna be doing in the future. I’ve had what feels like a week or so to think about any of this, but I haven’t really put much thought into it, ” he explained. “It just feels good to get some workouts in and just try to act normal, I guess.”
(Video courtesy of Sapo/IronForgesIron)
Nick Diaz has been out of the public eye since his close UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit and subsequent announcement by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he had tested positive for marijuana metabolites, so when we heard he was going to break his silence on SPIKE’s new MMA Uncensored show last night, we tuned in to hear what he had to say.
Unfortunately we were disappointed since he did not address the positive test or retirement and really didn’t say much about the Condit fight except that he thinks the judges in the sport choose their favorites to win and that he still feels he won the fight.
“Well, I never said anything about pursuing boxing. I [haven’t] really said much about anything about what I’m gonna be doing in the future. I’ve had what feels like a week or so to think about any of this, but I haven’t really put much thought into it, ” he explained. “It just feels good to get some workouts in and just try to act normal, I guess.”
“I think I could have gotten that fight to the ground and finished the fight or been a little more dominant throughout some of those other rounds. Or in some of the later rounds, had I put a little more pressure into the first two, but… Honestly, I felt it was smarter to play it safe and go ahead and push forward and win the rounds. I’ve lost fights before where I’m landing more punches and I’m moving away from the guy. So, the way that they score things at the end doesn’t really seem very consistent to me,” Diaz said. “I come back and I learn from my mistakes last time and it doesn’t really make a difference in the end. So, if anything I proved that this isn’t really working out. Because of all these fights I’ve lost, I’m usually winning the fights. You watch and the guy’s taking more damage. It’s just kinda irritating to me that we’re rewarding people in mixed martial arts for trying to move away and not finish the fight.”
Like the show itself, the interview was an awkward one and Diaz seemed like Cesar Gracie was standing off camera with a shotgun forcing him to do it.
On an unrelated note, I wonder what happened to MMAJunkie’s involvement on the show. The website announced late last year that it would be forming a partnership with the show, that would be supported by MMAJunkie content and co-hosted by some of its writers.
