It appears top Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen will not be returning to the octagon any time soon.
Sonnen went in front of the California State Athletic commission today to plead his case for re-obtaining his fighter licensing in both the state of California and the UFC's home of Nevada.
As of March 2nd, Sonnen had completed his previous six-month suspension issued by the CSAC as a result of a positive drug-test, presumably freeing him up to return to action once he was squared away in Nevada. However, CSAC executive director George Dodd recently revealed that the Team Quest fighter had been placed under indefinite administrative suspension pending today's hearing.
The primary objective of the meeting was to get answers from Sonnen regarding the false testimony he gave back in December, as well as his felony conviction in Oregon for a money laundering case stemming from shady real estate dealings.
As things got underway, Keith Kizer, the executive director of Nevada’s athletic commission, testifed regarding the conversations he had with Matt Lindland, denying ever having spoke to Chael Sonnen regarding his testosterone therapy for hypogonadism.
Sonnen maintained that it was never his intention to make it sound as if he had spoken directly to Kizer or any other commissioner regarding his use of testosterone. Instead, he claimed it was a matter of miscommunication and poor information obtained by others.
He went on to reveal that the UFC has tapped him as a coach on the 14th season of the promotion's reality show The Ultimate Fighter, with intentions of pitting him opposite of British star Michael Bisping.
“If I am not granted a license to fight, I will be effectively retired,” Sonnen pleaded. “I don’t want to retire today.”
In the end, however, it was not to be so, as the commission voted 4-1 to uphold the indefinite suspension. As of now, Sonnen will be under suspension until his license expires in June. From that point, he will be unable to reapply until June of 2012.
Stay tuned to LowKick.com for more information as it becomes available.
Source: ESPN.com
Photo: Chael Sonnen at the UFC 104 Weigh-Ins in Los Angeles, California on October 23, 2009. Francis Specker
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