On Wednesday afternoon, May 18, the California State Athletic Commission upheld the indefinite license suspension for former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen by a vote of 4 – 1.
Sonnen was at the CSAC hearing to appeal his suspension in order to get licensed so he could participate as a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” season 14 opposite Michael Bisping. Despite “TUF” being filmed in Nevada and falling under the Nevada State Athletic Commission, they will likely abide by the NSAC’s ruling and not license Sonnen in their state.
ESPN’s Josh Gross offered updates throughout the proceeding via Twitter (@JoshGrossESPN).
Sonnen was suspended last December after testing positive for steroids after his loss to Anderson Silva last summer. He received a six month sentence and a $2,500 fine by the CSAC. Then in January, the Commission suspended his license indefinitely following Federal charges of money laundering, for which Sonnen had his real estate license taken away and was fined $10,000.
The CSAC also took issue with false statements Sonnen made to them in December about receiving clearance by the NSAC for testosterone replacement therapy. During today’s meeting, according to Josh Gross, Sonnen noted that he requires the he has the testosterone levels of a “93 year old man” and he needs the replacement therapy to “survive”.
According to MMAjunkie.com, this means that Sonnen’s current suspension runs until his license expires on June 29 of this year, but also means he isn’t eligible to re-apply for a new license till June 29, 2012. He is free to apply for a license with other Commissions but will likely find them abiding by today’s CSAC ruling.