One day after claiming that Chael Sonnen would be unable to apply for a new license to fight in the state of California until May 18, 2012, the California State Athletic Commission has claimed they made an error in their ruling. According to a press release from the CSAC, Sonnen will be free to apply for licensure after his California license expires on June 29, 2011.
Lowkick.com reports the press release as stating:
Upon reviewing the May 18, 2011 decision of the Commission, an error in the applicability of Rule 399 was made. The rule states that, “Any applicant who has been denied an application for a license may not file a similar application until one year from the date of the last previous denial by the commission. Any application filed within the one year period may be denied without the necessity of a hearing. Anyone who has had his license revoked may not petition for reinstatement or apply for a new license until one year after the date of such revocation. Any petition for reinstatement filed within the one year period may be denied without the necessity of a hearing.” Since the Commission did not revoke or deny Mr. Sonnen’s license, the rule does not apply.
Given that Mr. Sonnen’s license will expire on June 29, 2011, the suspension imposed upon the license will be extinguished by operation of law. Therefore, Mr. Sonnen may reapply for a license at any time following that date.
This is big news for Sonnen. If he applies for a new license and the CSAC grants that license it would not be a surprise to see his name on a late summer or early fall UFC card.
ESPN’s Josh Gross was at Sonnen’s hearing on Wednesday and tweeted: “Sonnen said UFC would give him a job 18 days from now. ‘A once in a lifetime opportunity to be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter.'”
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer told MMAJunkie.com that the NSAC would honor the California suspension, so it is unclear if the coaching job on The Ultimate Fighter will remain a possibility for Sonnen when and if he is approved by the NSAC.
There is also no guarantee that the CSAC will approve his application. The CSAC press release states, Sonnen will be required to “appear at a Commission meeting to have his application considered. If the Commission denies his application, Mr. Sonnen will have to wait one year from the date of the denial.”
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