Allow Chael Sonnen to educate you on the benefits of erythropoietin, more commonly known as EPO.
Sonnen, a former three-time UFC title challenger, never has been shy to elaborate on his experience with taking performance-enhancing drugs. Sonnen, 44, tested positive for anastrozole, clomifene, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human growth hormone (HGH) and EPO, which Saturday’s headliner T.J. Dillashaw also recently served time for.
Dillashaw (16-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) tested positive for EPO in January 2019 after he struggled to make the flyweight mark for his title fight loss against then-champion Henry Cejudo. He served a two-year suspension handed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and is scheduled to return against Cory Sandhagen on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 27.
Having popped for five different substances throughout his career, Sonnen explains why EPO was his favorite.
“EPO, of all the performance enhancers, I will tell you, personal experience here. I’m an expert in performance enhancers for all the wrong reasons, but an expert nonetheless. EPO, without question, is my favorite,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve taken everything. I’ve gone into GNC’s or health stores and tried everything on the shelf on the off chance that something would work, and it doesn’t. They’re all junk. None of that stuff anywhere on those shelves works, but the same is true with performance enhancers. You’re not gonna get a bump on all of them.
“EPO is going to increase your red blood cells. What does that do? The red blood cells is what carries oxygen throughout the body. So the more red blood cells you have, the more oxygen you can get. It directly affects your cardiovascular output. It’s not going to make you bigger, it’s not going to make you leaner, it’s not going to make you stronger. It’s going to give you more endurance … a guy that takes EPO, particularly in training, can now just train longer. He can hit the bag that many times more. He can jump that rope many times more.”
Dillashaw has said he doesn’t regret taking EPO because of his physical condition, and he was under the impression that he wouldn’t get caught after doing some scientific research.
Sonnen explains why Dillashaw took that chance.
“It grows over time,” Sonnen said. “If you were to take your shot, you’re gonna need about 10 days for it to kick in, but Day 18, you’re gonna feel even better. By day 30 it’s gonna be even better. It slowly builds. It’s just one of these incredible things. Tough to catch somebody taking EPO because it can wash through your system within 72 hours. You take it, they got a small window where it could be detected, but the benefits can last much more like six weeks. Eight weeks sometimes, so it’s very effective.”
Chael Sonnen details benefits of favorite drug EPO and how ‘it’s going to give you more endurance’
