Doctor suggests Sonnen couldn't fight without testosterone therapy

Chael Sonnen has a long way to go before he wins back the trust of many MMA fans and media folks.

That tends to happen in the world of sports anytime you're connected with a "steroid" suspension.

The California State Athletic Commission accepted Sonnen's explanation about needing doctor prescribed testosterone replacement therapy and reduced his suspension from one year to six months. TRT is controversial subject across the board in sports.

In order to avoid future problems, CSAC officials admit that a TRT policy needs to be on the books.

One thing's for sure, it doesn't sound like Sonnen is going to stop getting the treatment. His physician Dr. Mark Czarnecki indicated Sonnen has no choice and he wouldn't be cleared to participate in mixed martial arts without TRT.

"Chael’s body would not tolerate the extreme stress associated with such a sport," Czarnecki told the L.A. Times. "With the amount of trauma to the body, his healing would be deteriorated. His anemia in his blood level would increase. He would not have adequate oxygenation. It would just not be safe [for him.]"

The doc said Sonnen's near-25-minute fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 117 was a prime example.

"At his state and at his level of fatigue, he was already displaying signs of severe mental fogging," Czarnecki said. "He would have an accelerated mental function at times, an accelerated coronary artery, accelerated muscle deterioration and accelerated fat accumulation and he’d have anemia due the lack of bone marrow stimulation."

The unresolved issue with Sonnen is still who he told and how long before the fight. The Nevada State Athletic Commission became part of this story as well when Sonnen indicated he had told Keith Kizer, the NSAC's executive director, as far back as 2008 about his TRT.

Kizer went on record saying he's never spoken to Sonnen about the subject. He went on to indicate that Sonnen, even when his six-month suspension in California is finished, is still not cleared to fight in Nevada. Kizer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that a future license in Nevada won't simply be rubber stamped.

Kizer said Sonnen would likely be required to appear at a commission meeting in person before being licensed again in Nevada.

"I think there's a lot of questions about him that need to be answered, and we want to give him a full and fair opportunity to respond to those questions," Kizer said.

Tamala Jones Yamila Diaz Alicia Keys Tyra Banks Vanessa Hudgens