Was the UFC middleweight number one contender expecting to get popped following his Aug. 7 fight against Anderson Silva? SI.com shares a conversation with California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director George Dodd:

Sonnen, 33, of West Lind, Ore., was apparently concerned enough about the possibility that he would render a positive test that he told CSAC executive director George Dodd he used an illegal performance enhancing drug leading up to the biggest fight of his life.

"He only indicated that he was taking it but he never indicated why," Dodd said of a conversation he and Sonnen shared during drug testing conducted by the state a day prior to the fight.

Sonnen "just let me know he was taking [something] and that's when I called over an inspector to get it documented. But when you do take it you still have to show a medical reason."

Though Sonnen mentioned using an illegal substance, the veteran mixed martial artist failed to note it on a pre-fight questionnaire with commission doctors or provide documentation about the use of testosterone in a medical context, according to Dodd.

News broke back on Sept. 19 that the mouthy ex-politician was popped for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED's) in a test administered prior to last month's UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" title fight at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Sonnen's pre-fight drug test, obtained from a urine sample that was processed through the UCLA Olympic drug-testing lab, returned a positive result for steroids and could land the trash-talking Realtor a one-year ban from the fight game and a $2,500 fine.

Sonnen, who railed against Lance Armstrong for his alleged use of steroids, now joins Josh Barnett and Sean Sherk on a lengthy list of fighters that the CSAC has fingered for illegal substances.

There has been no comment from wither Sonnen or the UFC and there likely won't be until after his appeal. Either way, a rematch with Anderson Silva seems unlikely based on the length of his suspension, and the promotion has already booked a middleweight number one contender bout between Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami at UFC 122.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this breaking story as it continues to develop.