“They Threatened Me”: UFC Legend Claims to Have Faced Serious Repercussions When He Spoke on Lance Armstrong’s Doping Issue Before Anyone Else

Lance Armstrong was considered one of the greatest athletes in history. He won seven Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005. However, in light of his doping confession, the former road racing cyclist was stripped of his seven championship wins. UFC legend and critic Chael Sonnen claims that he was threatened by Nike after talking about Armstrong’s cheating tactics.

Chael Sonnen is one of the biggest trash-talkers in the history of combat sports and he does not shy away from speaking his mind. He recently posted a video on YouTube, talking about Lance Armstrong’s use of illegal substances.

Details on Lance Armstrong confessing to the use of PEDs

Lance Armstrong became one of the most recognized athletes in the world after winning the prestigious Tour de France competition seven times in a row. However, in 2013, he opened up about his use of performance-enhancement drugs in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Armstrong admitted to the use of EPO (Erythropoietin), which is used for increasing red blood cells. EPO helps to increase performance by maximizing oxygen consumption and prevents athletes from getting exhausted quickly.

Following his confession, Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France wins. He was also stripped of his Bronze medal, which he won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. People saw him as one of the most elite athletes in the world until he confessed to using drugs to enhance his performance.

Nike threatened Chael Sonnen for talking about Armstrong’s PED use.

‘The American Gangster’ recently dropped another video on his YouTube channel where he mentioned that he was training at the Olympic Training Center when word spread about Armstrong’s drug use. Sonnen said that many people knew that the famous cyclist was cheating. He said, “I lived at the Olympic training center. Lance Armstrong’s name was a four-letter word. All the Athletes knew he was cheating, and he was profiting and he was beating honest people. We all knew it.”

Chael Sonnen said that when he mentioned Armstrong’s PED use, he received threats from Nike, which was Armstrong’s sponsor at the time. ‘The American Gangster’ said, “I even said this [Armstrong cheating to win] on The Jim Rome Show, and they… Nike threatened me.” Sonnen added, “They threatened me, ‘How could you say such things about this wonderful [athlete]?”

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Chael Sonnen is known for his wild claims now and then. But his claims about Lance Armstrong may not be as wild as some people might think considering that his professional career was deemed a scandalous one in the wake of his confession in 2013.

What are your thoughts on Chael Sonnen’s comments? Drop your comments below.

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