‘We Have the Same Drug Guy’: Ex-MMA Fighter Chael Sonnen Claims LeBron James is On Performance Enhancing Drugs

Fight analyst and former MMA and UFC fighter Chael Sonnen recently claimed that he and NBA star LeBron James is on performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and that he and James “have the same drug guy.”

Appearing on Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast, Sonnen made a series of proclamations about James’s supposed use of PEDs, according to Bloody Elbow.

Sonnen started by saying that people don’t want to talk about James’ PED use because he is performing on the court.

“If the world understood what LeBron did… like other basketball players will hear what LeBron does and go, ‘but that doesn’t matter.’ It’s like a baseball player, and you’re hitting the stick — it doesn’t matter,” he said, adding, “If you knew what these performance-enhancers did, then you would know why it does matter.”

“We have the same drug guy, I know exactly what he’s doing,” Sonnen exclaimed.

Minutes later, Sonnen claimed that James is taking Erythropoietin (EPO), one of the substances that Sonnen himself tested positive for and was also suspended for during his MMA career.

“It matters. Trust me that it matters. EPO matters. It’s the reason Lebron takes it. It matters,” Sonnen explained. “And if other basketball players understood what it did… EPO increases your red blood cells, which gives you endurance so you can play all game long.”

“You can shoot in the fourth quarter just like you shot in the fourth minute. It’s the king of performance enhancers. EPO is king to everything,” he said.

As Bloody Elbow notes, some things Sonnen says can be “taken with a grain of salt.”

For instance, in the same podcast, Sonnen claimed he made $8 million from a UFC fight in 2012, but UFC financial records show way less than that. And in another segment, he said he is like “Robin Hood” because he “used to rob banks.” The latter tall tale is likely Sonnen’s overly dramatic description of his 2011 money laundering and mortgage fraud charges to which he pleaded guilty.

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