The surprise drug testing did its job, as Alistair Overeem has been found with elevated testosterone levels in advance of his UFC heavyweight title bout at UFC 146. While speculation abounds, the fact is that he has now placed himself in this position and must appear in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Now the main event is thrown into disarray, as they must wait to see how the NSAC will respond to this finding. Even more interesting will be the UFC’s response to the situation and what they must go doing forward.
As one of the biggest, both figuratively and literally, personalities in the heavyweight division, Alistair Overeem may not be popular with the mainstream MMA fan base, but he is considered one of the best fighters in the division. With his win over Brock Lesnar this past December he placed himself in a position to earn a shot against Junior dos Santos. Now, not only is that position threatened, but the repercussions from the UFC may be just as difficult to deal with.
Fighters who have jeopardized important fights have been sternly punished in the past. Look at Nate Marquardt and Anthony Johnson as two prime examples. Marquardt was set to face Rick Story in his welterweight debut, but the day before the event he was caught up in controversy surrounding his testosterone levels. Without hesitation he was quickly cut from the promotion, and he still has not found a way back to competition. Johnson was released because he horrendously failed at making weight for his bout against Vitor Belfort, and after putting in a poor performance, he was jettisoned from the organization. Many individuals will be watching to see how the company reacts now that a big name such as Overeem has been added to the tainted list at such an inopportune time.
What’s interesting about this story is that Overeem still has to appear in front of the NSAC to state his case. If he provides a solid explanation to the situation, they may let him off without any type of penalty. Would the UFC still be pressed to punish the fighter for putting them in such a position? In the past they have reacted very quickly, so why should they act any different here? The UFC should still find a way to punish Overeem for the precarious position they are in, because as a potential face for the organization, he needs to be doing all he can to keep himself away from these problems.
I would like to see them dock him some of his fight pay (if he is allowed to compete) or even remove him from the card completely. Show that they will not tolerate any of their fighters being named in any fashion with performance enhancing drugs, or experiencing the benefits of using. The lack of transparency when it comes to how the UFC punishes its employees has been called to the forefront as of late, and it is time for the company to do what they can to shed that persona.
The organization has yet to make a formal statement in regards to this situation, and that alone is interesting enough. As they sit and wait to see how the NSAC will react to their fighter’s explanation during his hearing, I’m certain they are preparing a backup plan that may include making Frank Mir the new number one contender to the heavyweight title. No matter what they decide to do, the company must respond with the same furor that they have hit offenders with in the past. Don’t go “easy” on Overeem just because he has drawing power for the sport. That would create an even bigger black eye for the organization that would follow them around for an extended period of time.
I was always suspicious about the randomness of the UFC 146 press conference drug test. I'm glad I was wrong.
There's nothing interesting about the organization having yet to make a formal statement prior to the NSAC's decision. That's standard protocol.
Mr Overeem should have known better, with a chance to hold all those titles under his belt he should have seen the test coming so stupid.