Disappointment.
That’s the feeling that churned inside me when I received the email from the Nevada State Athletic Commission stating: “Mr. (Alistair) Overeem tested positive for an increased T/E ratio (> 10). Mr. Overeem will need to appear before the Commission if he seeks licensure.”
We now know those levels were 14:1. But what do these numbers mean?
The basics are as follows:
— “T/E” stands for Testosterone/Epitestosterone
— Most men have a T/E of 1:1, but this is an average, as it can drop from 0.7:1 or raise to 1.3:1
— Stats have shown that a ratio of up to 3.7:1 will encompass 99 per cent of men
— The World Anti-Doping Agency allows a ratio of 4:1 while the Nevada State Athletic Commission allows 6:1 (for those with abnormally high numbers)
— After injecting testosterone, levels can drop to half, within eight hours (say from 12:1 to 6:1). A day later, it’s a third of the original level (2:1)
Testosterone is natural, so no masking agents are required. If one knows basic mathematics, they can cycle on and off fairly easily.
The problem with Overeem’s 14:1 ratio was not just that it abnormally high, but that he apparently miscalculated, knowing full well, in advance, that he would be in Nevada for the UFC 146 press conference. Considering his conditional licence from UFC 141 stipulated he must be able to produce two random samples, there was a very good chance that the athletic commission would ask him to do so while in Las Vegas. Lo and behold, they did… and according to results number one, he failed.
What Alistair does with “sample B” and how he clears his name — and explains himself to the commission — is going to be fantastic to see. All eyes will be watching this story to see who will win between the government and the fighter, in this rematch that does not bode well for the athlete. We may have seen the last of Overeem on North American soil.
He will not get suspended. He can’t — he doesn’t have a licence. The bout with Lesnar can (or at least “should”) be ruled a “no contest.” Can he compete for the UFC again? Yes, but it will have to be under a jurisdiction that does not have a commission and is overseen by the promotion. Let’s hope Zuffa does not entertain this option.
Scrolling through Overeem’s Twitter timeline shows the vast majority of MMA fans are disappointed and disgusted with the Dutchman. “I knew it” was the theme. “Finally, you got caught” was another. A light-heavyweight when he started his career, the jump to heavyweight raised many a flag in the MMA blogosphere. Think Barry Bonds, if you are a baseball fan, when he first started with the Pittsburgh Pirates, compared to his days as a San Francisco Giant. Nothing was ever proven, but in the back of your mind, one day, the light of day will overpower the darkness of night.
The curve ball that Alistair has thrown to the UFC incensed its president Dana White, who said during a conference call with Canadian media on Wednesday, “I am beyond, beyond pissed about this. He looked at me in the face and swore he would pass the drug test.”
White was so upset, he did not even want to speak with Overeem.
“It’s beyond comprehension,” White said. “(If a fighter knows he is going to be tested), you’re an absolute moron, a brain-dead absolute f—ing dummy. It goes beyond a guy having any common sense whatsoever.”
It looks as if common sense and mathematics may not be Alistair’s strong suit.
Instead, one of the greatest runs in the heavyweight division will be marred with the label “cheater” for the man who had many fans ecstatic when he signed with the big show in September of last year. He was the Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 champion, and was one fight away from pulling off what no fighter would likely ever be able to do again: hold every major combat sports title at the same time.
Instead of realizing the ultimate dream and fighting Junior dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight title, Overeem’s next fight will be to clear his name, his honour, and tosave his mixed martial arts career.