When Chael Sonnen‘s suspension was upheld by the California State Athletic Commission on Wednesday May 18, it was unclear exactly how long that suspension would keep the highly ranked middleweight out of the Octagon.
CSAC Executive Director George Dodd cleared the air on that topic on Thursday.
Dodd, speaking to MMAJunkie.com, cited California Code of Regulations Title 4 Rule 399, which states:
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.
In short, Sonnen cannot apply for a new license in California until May 18, 2012 and even then, there is no guarantee that he will be licensed.
Sonnen is free to apply for licensure in other states, however most states honor the suspension of another state’s athletic commission.
During his hearing, MMAJunkie.com reported that Sonnen asked to have his suspension ended on June 5 so that he could apply for a license in Nevada to coach on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Bisping.
Sonnen’s current suspension runs through June 29, past the June 5 cutoff he would need to apply to coach on TUF.
Sonnen’s original was handed down after his loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117, which was held in August 2010. Sonnen’s urine tested for high levels of testosterone, which he attributed to testosterone replacement therapy.
He was originally suspended for one year, but that was later reduced to six months on appeal.
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