At the start of today's Nevada State Athletic Commission, it looked like another Las Vegas UFC main event might be headed towards the scrap heap. But after an hour of investigating and collecting info on Alistair Overeem, the commission granted him a conditional license to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 later this month.
The issue at hand was a missed random drug test requested by the NSAC on Nov. 17. Overeem's management was called in the morning about the test, the fighter then jumped on a flight from the U.S. to the Netherlands, and no response was given to the request for four days. Overeem explained that the time lapse was simply due to a communications breakdown.
Things got more complicated on Nov. 23 when Overeem went to his personal doctor in Amsterdam and the wrong type of test was administered. The commission asked for a urine test and received blood test results instead. Overeem submitted to the urine test on Dec. 7, but that again was done by his doctor.
After collecting the necessary info during the hearing and a short discussion, the commission decided to grant Overeem a conditional license.
He'll have to re-test in the next few days at a European location designated by the NSAC. He'll also have to submit another urine sample once he returns to the U.S. Following the fight, Overeem will be subjected to two more random tests in the U.S.
Overeem returned home on Nov. 17 because his mother experienced a health scare in her fight against cancer. Overeem bought that ticket on Nov. 15.
Plenty of media members reacted strongly to the conditional license describing the hearing as a farce. Overeem has long been subjected to rumors of steroid usage. A one-time light heavyweight, The 6-foot-5 Overeem has added incredible mass to his frame. He now weighs around 255 pounds.
Las Vegas is glad to hear that the fight is still on. The city's UFC cards in 2010 and 2011 have seemed cursed. Injuries have caused main events to go bye bye on several occasions.
UFC 108 was supposed to feature Anderson Silva-Vitor Belfort in the main event. UFC 109 was headlined by Randy Couture against Mark Coleman after several big fights fell through. UFC 130 lost Frank Edgar-Gray Maynard III due to injuries to both fighters. Most recently UFC 137 and UFC 143 lost Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz fights.
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