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Correction: Chael Sonnen Won’t Be Able to Reapply for a License Until May 2012

(Sonnen illustration via celebbest.com)

Though it was originally reported that the indefinitely suspended Chael Sonnen would be able to re-apply for an MMA license after his current license expires on June 29th, California State Athletic Commission executive officer George Dodd contradicted that bit of information today, telling MMA Fighting that the soonest Sonnen can re-apply is May 2012:

“One of our rules, in our Title IV [of the California Code of Regulations], stipulates that you have to wait one year after an appeal of your suspension or revocation of license. And since he appealed this [on May 18, 2011], it’s one year from the day of denial.”

Wait, it gets worse:

(Sonnen illustration via celebbest.com)

Wait, it gets worse:

“[Sonnen] is going to have to show that he’s done something to promote the sport, promote goodwill,” Dodd said. “He does a lot of good things already. He talks to kids and stuff like that about making right decisions. But he’s going to have to show that he’s making the right decisions as well. You can say it, but you have to make those decisions yourself.”

So basically, Uncle Chael is going to have to prove that he’s a good person? And rehabilitated? No wild lies or trash-talk for an entire year? Total nightmare. Theoretically, Sonnen could still compete outside of the U.S., in countries that lack athletic commissions — that is, if the UFC wants to continue doing business with him at all. But doing that means Sonnen would run the risk of getting blacklisted in the U.S. forever. On the other hand, Sonnen will need to find some way to support himself, especially now that he doesn’t have a realtor’s license either.

George Dodd also said that if Sonnen was re-licensed next year, he could still request a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone therapy, as long as he went through the proper channels:

“What would happen is he would…request it through the athletic commission. The commission would probably request that the medical advisory committee review it. The medical advisory committee would review it and then make a recommendation back to the commission whether or not to approve or disapprove.”

Serious question, for those of you who have knowledge about this sort of thing: Can a testosterone deficiency leave a person so weak that they can’t function normally in day to day life? Yesterday, Sonnen claimed he needed his bi-monthly TRT treatments for his “survival,” and his mom said that he wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning without them. Is that bullshit or not?

CSAC: Chael Sonnen Can’t Reapply for License Until May 2012

Filed under: UFC, NewsNow that the California State Athletic Commission has voted to uphold Chael Sonnen’s indefinite suspension, the UFC middleweight will have a long wait before he gets another day in court.

CSAC executive officer George Dodd told M…

Filed under: UFC, News

Now that the California State Athletic Commission has voted to uphold Chael Sonnen‘s indefinite suspension, the UFC middleweight will have a long wait before he gets another day in court.

CSAC executive officer George Dodd told MMA Fighting on Thursday that the soonest Sonnen could reapply for a fighter’s license is May of 2012, though he could apply for a second’s license to corner other fighters sooner.

In other words, Sonnen will either have to sit the next twelve months out or else try and get a license to fight in another commission’s jurisdiction. That most likely rules out Nevada, but several other states – not to mention the U.K., Europe, and Japan – would still remain viable options.

That is, if the UFC is willing to promote a fighter who is still officially denied a license from a major commission like California.

If and when Sonnen does reapply for a license in the Golden State, Dodd said, he would have to show the commission proof of his rehabilitation, much like Josh Barnett was asked to do in his recent CSAC hearing.

As for Sonnen’s use of testosterone, Dodd said a therapeutic use exemption is still not out of the question, but the fighter would have to go through the proper channels first.

Wednesday’s hearing was not about whether Sonnen was or was not in need of the testosterone injections at the time of his fight with UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last August, Dodd said.

Instead, it was about Sonnen’s misrepresentation of conversations he claimed to have had about that testosterone use with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Ultimately, the commission found his explanations of those past statements unconvincing.

“That is true,” Dodd said. “That’s why we never brought up more about what happened back then. We didn’t. I didn’t testify because there was nothing I could testify to that would give it more cause aside from what was already said.”

At Wednesday’s hearing Sonnen told the CSAC that conversations with UFC president Dana White had led him to believe he would be “effectively retired” if he wasn’t relicensed this week. As of yet, there is no official word on what the UFC plans to do with regards to Sonnen’s future in the organization.

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Chael Sonnen: Even with the Bad, We Can Remember the Good

In the past year, Chael Sonnen has become one of the most popular faces in Mixed Martial Arts.An accomplished wrestler, Sonnen found success during his career despite a weakness against submissions. Sonnen is perhaps best known for his ability to trash…

In the past year, Chael Sonnen has become one of the most popular faces in Mixed Martial Arts.

An accomplished wrestler, Sonnen found success during his career despite a weakness against submissions. Sonnen is perhaps best known for his ability to trash talk and hype up a fight, and became famous for his quotes in the months leading up to his fight against Anderson Silva.

Many people dislike Sonnen, and while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, they can’t deny his amazing talent.

In Sonnen’s bout with Silva, the biggest of his career to date, he took Silva to the limit. There were reports that Silva had a broken rib going into the fight, but afterward it was revealed that Sonnen broke Silva’s rib in the first round. Sonnen caught Anderson with some vicious shots, and landed takedowns in nearly every round. If Sonnen hadn’t been caught in a triangle in the fifth round, he would have likely won the fight via a 50-43 decision.

Sonnen didn’t get the job done, but he gave it his all. He may have lost the fight, but in the weeks that followed the loss turned out to be the least of his worries.

When it came out that Sonnen had failed his post-fight drug test, it was bad news for both Sonnen and the MMA community in general. It appeared that Sonnen and his doctor would clear his record in a meeting with the California State Athletic Commission, but the case seemed fishy. Sonnen’s suspension was lowered to six months, but suspicions on both sides remained after the trial was rescheduled several times.

Today, Sonnen met with the CSAC, who didn’t like what he had to say. His suspension was made indefinite, and according to Dana White, Sonnen is done in the UFC if the commission refuses to reinstate his license. Now that it appears Sonnen’s days in the UFC are done, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights.

Sonnen holds a career record of 25-11-1. While he never technically won a major championship in his career, Paulo Filho forfeited his belt to Sonnen in a rematch of a previous bout.

After starting his career 14-6-1, he was given a shot at Ronato Sobral at UFC 55, which was billed as a light heavyweight bout. In that bout, Sonnen dominated the first round standing up and landed multiple take downs, but in the second round was caught in a rear triangle choke.

After posting a 1-2 record in the UFC, Sonnen was cut from the promotion. After going on to win five matches in a row, he was rewarded with his title shot against Filho and went on to lose via submission.

After winning his next two fights, Sonnen headed back to the UFC where he lost to Damian Maia through with a triangle choke. Next, he defeated Dan Miller and Yushin Okami, which earned him a chance to face Nate Marquardt in a title eliminator bout. Marquardt wanted his rematch with Silva, but Sonnen wanted a shot as well.

The fight took place at UFC 109. Sonnen outclassed Marquardt in every aspect of the fight, leading to a literal beatdown. It was Sonnen’s best fight of his career, start to finish, and after getting the win and fight of the night honors, he appeared ready for his shot at taking down Silva.

Leading up to his title shot, Sonnen showed the personality and humor that made him one of the more popular UFC fighters of the past year. His fight against Marquardt earned him a great deal of respect in the MMA community, which he sadly went on to lose following his failed drug test.

Chael Sonnen made some mistakes, but so does everyone. Does he deserve special treatment? I won’t say he does, but in my personal opinion he’s paid his dues.

What does the future hold for Sonnen if UFC releases him? With his athletic ability and hilarious personality, I could see pro wrestling in his future. If he wants to stick with legitimate fighting, going to Japan or signing with M-1 global aren’t out of the question.

Sonnen has a few solid possibilites. He may indeed decide to retire and work as a trainer, but whatever Sonnen does, I’m sure he will do it well.

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UFC Breaking News: Dana White Says Chael Sonnen’s Career Is over

The middleweight title challenger who nearly dethroned Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last August, has been given the worst news that a fighter can hear.Chael Sonnen has found out that he will no longer be able to fight in the UFC. According to MMAbay.com.u…

The middleweight title challenger who nearly dethroned Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last August, has been given the worst news that a fighter can hear.

Chael Sonnen has found out that he will no longer be able to fight in the UFC. According to MMAbay.com.uk, Sonnen can no longer compete in the UFC.

The California State Athletic Commission voted 4-1 to indefinitely suspend Sonnen’s liscense to fight. According to testimony from Dana White, this will effectively end the career of a good middleweight mixed martial artist.

The controversial, outspoken martial artist has hit had some dark days lately, and this seems to only add to his pain. First, after UFC 117, he failed his drug test for elevated testosterone levels indicating steroid use. Then he was found guilty in a real estate scandal in his home state of Oregon, and was placed on probation and forced to pay a fine.

This seems to be the nail in the coffin of a successful MMA career. Hopefully, Sonnen can get past these speed bumps and find success in other ventures if this truly is the end of his MMA days.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hump Day Headlines with Stephanie Ann Cook

Chael Sonnen‘s indefinite suspension sticks; says he will retire. Jorge Masvidal vs. KJ Noons set for Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Frankie Edgar pushing off surgery for bulging discs; opts for epidural injections for pain. Shinya.

Chael Sonnen‘s indefinite suspension sticks; says he will retire.

Jorge Masvidal vs. KJ Noons set for Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum

Frankie Edgar pushing off surgery for bulging discs; opts for epidural injections for pain.

Shinya Aoki vs. Rich Clementi on for DREAM 17.

Matt Hamill has a movie coming out. Yep, probably with subtitles.

Chael Sonnen Remains Suspended by the California State Athletic Commission

In an article last week, this writer broke the news that UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen had his fighter’s license suspended by the state of California. May 18 was the day of the hearing, and things did not go favorably for “Uncle C…

In an article last week, this writer broke the news that UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen had his fighter’s license suspended by the state of California.

May 18 was the day of the hearing, and things did not go favorably for “Uncle Chael.”

ESPN’s Josh Gross kept fans up to date via his Twitter feed, and there were quite a few interesting developments.

At the hearing, Sonnen confirmed rumors that the UFC asked him to coach opposite Michael Bisping on season 14 of the show. 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,” he confirmed.

Additionally, he clarified that if things panned out, the season finale would see Sonnen take on Bisping in a No. 1 contender fight for the middleweight title.

Bisping chimed in on the matter via his Twitter page, and despite Sonnen calling him out not too long ago, “The Count” actually showed sympathy for Sonnen:

“Gutted for chael sonnen, people make mistakes. He paid his dues and should be allowed to continue with his career. Real shame for the guy.”

The British middleweight added “I did wanna fight him,as it would of been awesome, and a no1 contender matchup, but my own personal wants aside, I do truly feel for the guy.”

The first shocking moment from the hearing came when Sonnen stated, “If I don’t get my license today I’m effectively retired. That came from the boss, Dana White.”

A visibly emotional Sonnen continued, “I worked for this chance my whole life. I don’t want to retire today.”

After hearing statements from the crowd—which included Sonnen’s mother—the commission passed a 4-1 motion made by State Athletic Commissioner Gene Hernandez to uphold Sonnen’s indefinite suspension.

Sonnen’s attorney, Steve Thompson, blamed the misunderstandings between the commission and Sonnen primarily on former manager Matt Linland. Thompson also played up how passionate the UFC was in giving Sonnen another chance, with a coaching position on TUF and a No. 1 contender fight on the line.

Sonnen stressed the fact that he needs testosterone therapy for his “survival,” and that he has the testosterone levels of a “93-year-old man.”

All arguments seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Sonnen cannot apply for another license in the state of California until June 29th of 2012, and is all but guaranteed to not get his suspension uplifted in the state of Nevada now.

Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer was one of the men who testified. He again reiterated his position that he never talked to Sonnen regarding the therapeutic exemption of testosterone replacement therapy.

Neither the UFC nor Chael Sonnen has released an official statement on the matter yet, but this article will provide updates as they occur.

UPDATE: 5:24pm ET Michael Bisping’s Twitter comments about the matter have been added.

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