February 5th, 2011

http://www.fighters.com/02/05/no-date-in-mind-for-chael-sonnens-return-says-dana-white

The estranged middleweight contender Chael Sonnen will not be returning to the Octagon in the foreseeable future.

After originally raising eyebrows following his spirited fifth-round submission loss to Anderson Silva, where the Oregon native was linked to Performance Enhancing Drugs due to high levels of testosterone found in his system–which was ultimately attributed to hormonal injections for a disease called hypogonadism.

Since then, the former title challenger has plead guilty to Money Laundering charges, a felony punishable up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 worth in fines. Needless to say, his life isn’t exactly where he would like it to be, and UFC President Dana White believes that the 185-pounder needs more time reassess his current dilemma.

The UFC head honcho recently suspended Sonnen from active competition within the mixed martial arts promotion, freezing his contract until further notice.

MMAFighting.com caught up with White who had this to say regarding his troubled brash fighter: “I really don’t know,” he said. “There’s no timetable. We still have to see what happens with all his personal problems.”

Chael has reportedly used his guilty plea to parlay his Money Laundering conviction, which stems from his former career as a Realtor, in order to not face any jail time. Instead, his Real Estate license has been revoked and a fine of $10,000, as well as a two-year probation period.

With all of the hoopla surrounding his life, it was in the best interest of the UFC to distance themselves from one of their noticeable athletes. Sonnen was scheduled to make a return to the octagon this March opposite of Japanese Judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama for “UFC 128: Shogun vs. Evans”, however with his recent suspension at hand, Nate Marquardt has since taken his place.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Sonnen’s current situation? Would you like to see him back in the cage, and if so against whom? Sound off in the comment section below.