The road to getting back inside the octagon just got a whole lot tougher for Chael Sonnen.
On Wednesday, the California State Athletic Commission voted 4-1 to uphold an indefinite suspension against Sonnen that will keep him from returning to competition for the foreseeable future. Josh Gross of ESPN.com has all the details.
The suspension, issued April 19, came after the commission’s legal counsel felt Sonnen may have perjured himself during testimony at an appeal hearing in December related to his ban for elevated levels of testosterone following a UFC middleweight championship fight against Anderson Silva on Aug. 7. The commission also addressed whether Sonnen’s guilty plea in January — to money-laundering charges related to his real-estate business for which he was sentenced to 24 months probation, a $10,000 fine, and loss of his real-estate license — brought “discredit” to the state as a licensee.
The indefinite suspension runs through June 29, when Sonnen’s license in California expires. Sonnen will be placed on the MMA registry used by regulators to monitor medical and administrative suspensions. He is free to apply for licenses in other jurisdictions, but California requested that other commissions contact it in the event that Sonnen requests a license.
The trial has the attention of most everyone in MMA as Sonnen was still coming off his near win over Anderson Silva last summer, as he won four-straight rounds against the champion before being submitted late in the fifth round.
Shortly after the fight, as rematch was in the works by the UFC, but then word broke of a failed drug test by Sonnen in which he had high testosterone levels.
Sonnen claimed the failed test was due to drug treatment, which is also what he indicated to the CSAC on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old middleweight said he must undergo treatment for his “survival” or he would suffer from a testosterone level equivalent to a “93-year-old man.”
Unlike Sonnen’s seven previous fights since the treatment began, he tested positive for an abnormally high testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio of 16.9 after the Silva bout. California’s allowed limit is 4.0.
During testimony, Sonnen stood by his statements from a Dec. 2 hearing in Sacramento, Calif. Sonnen said it was his “understanding” that the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved his use of testosterone replacement therapy through a therapeutic use exemption in 2008. He also said he was personally informed that he would not need to again declare testosterone on pre-bout medical questionnaires distributed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Sonnen “believed that this advice would apply” to similar forms in California, according to his declaration.
Despite claims that he informed the commission of his testosterone issues, that was vehemently denied by Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Comission.
Keith Kizer, executive director of the NSAC, testified over streaming video from Las Vegas that neither he nor Nevada commission-licensed doctors granted Sonnen a therapeutic use exemption, which allows for prescribed medication to be used by a licensed competitor if it’s deemed necessary for his or her well-being.
Sonnen, Kizer said, was never told he didn’t need to disclose testosterone treatments.
“That is a false statement,” Kizer said.
Some interesting news to come out of the hearing was that Sonnen claims the UFC was planning on having he and Michael Bisping host the next season of The Ultimate Fighter if he was granted his license to fight again.
Apparently getting emotional during the trial, Sonnen feared that a ruling against him could end his fighting career.
Sonnen said during testimony that if he was not granted a license Wednesday he would be forced to retire and would not be allowed to participate on the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality show produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Spike TV.
Now Sonnen will be in limbo for another few months before being able to apply for a license in other states. It is unknown at this time if Sonnen will be granted a license elsewhere, but it appears that California is going to do all it can to prevent him from fighting any time soon.
Perhaps Sonnen could have helped himself by being more humble and honest. His trash-talking and obvious lying in the past have clearly caught up to him now and making it harder for him to do what he loves.
I personally would like to see him fight again because there is that cloud of doubt out there as to whether or not he could be the guy to dethrone Anderson Silva. He is one of the best in the middleweight division and it would be a shame if he couldn’t fight again.
Posted in: Fighters, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC
Tags: Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, UFC