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Former UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen's Battery Charges Dropped After Alleged Hotel Brawl
January 28, 2022
A Nevada judge dismissed five misdemeanor battery chargers against former UFC star Chael Sonnen on Thursday.
According to TMZ Sports, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said the following when asked about the decision: "This matter was dismissed by the court on its own based upon the fact that the citation's notice to appear failed to comply with the legal requirements as set forth by Nevada law."
The charges stemmed from an alleged brawl that occurred at the Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas on Dec. 18.
Per TMZ Sports, Sonnen was handcuffed and detained by police on the night of the alleged altercation, but he was not arrested since police didn't witness what occurred.
The 44-year-old Sonnen is best known for his successful UFC career, which ran from 2005-13. He faced many of the top fighters in the sport during his tenure, including Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping, Jon Jones, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans.
After his UFC career concluded, Sonnen fought five times in Bellator, competing against well-known names such as Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko and Lyoto Machida.
Sonnen's most recent fight was a loss to Machida at Bellator 222 in 2019. Following that bout, Sonnen announced his retirement from MMA.
Overall, Sonnen went 31-17-1 during his MMA career and was a light heavyweight champion in both the Dangerzone and Gladiator Challenge promotions.
Now, Sonnen is an MMA analyst for ESPN, a role he has held since 2014.