Candid Chael Sonnen on failed UFC drug tests: 'I tried to game the system'

Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) No. 1 middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen, has never been one to bite his tongue.

So when the time came to fess up and explain his failed drug test back in June, "The American Gangster," openly admitted to taking Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) and Clomiphene. According to Sonnen, those prescribed medications were all a part of him trying to ease back into a normal life post-testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

You know, because of that ban and all.

He also took the meds in order to help him with fertility issues so he and his wife would be able to have a family.

After announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA), it was revealed that he also failed a second drug test, as traces of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), as well as human growth hormone (HGH), were found in his system.

That forced UFC officials to make the tough decision to separate themselves from Sonnen altogether.

Laying low, for the most part, after his previous tribulations, Sonnen appeared on the "Talk is Jericho" podcast to speak about the last couple of life-changing months with WWE star Chris Jericho and openly admitted that he tried to "game the system."

But the surprise drug tests foiled all those plans.

Check it out:

"Getting suspended from fighting is something that had to be done. I broke the rules. The rules are clear and I broke them, you got to get punished and I was and I will honor it. I had got hit on a test, a surprise test that was 44 days before my fight. Generally in our business we're tested fight night, so whatever it is you're doing or you're not doing, you have to show up clean on fight day. When I talk about being dirty, I'm not talking about steroids or illegal drugs. I always have to make this distinction because if you ever, at least in our sport,  if you ever failed a drug test, you are automatically taking something illegal and they were steroids, that's just the way it works in the media and the people's minds. Well, first off, none of them were illegal and none of them were steroids. I never offered a defense. I turned in my prescriptions like, 'I got this from the doctor, this was valid stuff.' But, these are still against the rules, I knew it. I didn't think I'd be tested for another 44 days. I tried to game the system. And here is what happened: I didn't want to say anything that would water down my guilt. I think that it's real important that when you are wrong, just say you're wrong. And I was wrong, and I was like, 'here's the truth, you guys go sort it out, I'm going to go take a nap and let me know what you decide and I'll honor it.' I'm a grown man. I knew what I was doing, that test was supposed to be 44 days... I thought I could have my cake and eat it too. I can take this, I can feel great, and they did make me feel good, and that's one of the problems I had. They go ‘these are performance enhancers.' I go, 'guys, why else would I have taken it?' I'm not showing up to the doctors saying, 'Doc 'do you have anything to make me feel worse?' And if he says 'Yes,' Chris, that's malpractice. He can't give me something to make me feel worse, it's got to make me feel better. And they did and they said, 'Listen, you can't train that way, you can't, we got to do something with this.' And I said, 'Yeah, you're right.'"

Sonnen also offered up some advice to people who may find themselves in his situation, saying that the best option is to come clean as fast as possible, because those are the ones who people are quick to forgive.

"I think If I could ever advise somebody that is ever in my shoes, just come clean. Come as clean as you can, as quickly as you can. And then let the people, let them decide. Let them sort it out from there. But go move on with your life. If you have to do something else, then do something else, man. That's it."

Something UFC President Dana White wholeheartedly agrees with.

Though Sonnen was suspended from fighting for two years by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), that didn't stop him from competing at last weekend's (Sat., Aug. 9, 2014) Metamoris 4 jiu-jitsu event in Los Angeles, California.

Despite the NSAC's best efforts to prevent him from doing so.

As Sonnen put it, the commission only contacted him once prior to the competition to advise him against competing. But when "The American Gangster" explained to them the difference between fighting and grappling, he never heard from them again, though that didn't stop the NSAC from threatening him.

He explains:

"I had gotten a letter from the commission which said ‘Hey, we heard you were fighting next week. You're not allowed to do that.' And so I just let them know, 'You heard wrong, I'm getting involved in an event we're going to do some grappling, and if you have a problem with that, let me know, we won't do it.' We never heard back from them. We think they just had some bad info, they heard we were fighting. They're not totally wrong there. Particularly Brazilians, will call it a fight. I come from a wrestling background, I call it a match. If Brazilians see it they'll call it a fight. This was promoted by some guys from Brazil, and they do use that word sometimes, so the commission got some info, they acted on that."

Sonnen went on to lose to Andre Galvao in the main event of Metamoris 4 via rear-naked choke, which you can see here.

You've heard from the "Gangster," so what's your take on his most recent, up-front comments?