UFC News: Chael Sonnen Is Free, Suspension Is Lifted

The day has finally come for Chael Sonnen as his suspension with the California State Athletic Commission has been lifted, allowing the middleweight to once again compete as he is free to apply for a license once again.

Sonnen surely cannot wait to get back in the Octagon, as he has a score to settle with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, who Sonnen was on the brink of defeating before being caught in a triangle and forced to submit.

Original reports about Sonnen's suspension wouldn't let him to re-apply in California until May of 2012, but those reports were a misunderstanding of the rule in question as explained by the commission itself.

This is great news for any fans of Sonnen's and bolsters the dwindling ranks of the middleweight division. Sonnen gives the UFC a legitimate contender for Anderson Silva and a rematch that everyone has been asking for since their first fight.

It is unknown if Sonnen will re-apply in the state of California, but at least he won't be forced into early retirement now while he gets another opportunity to compete and make a living at what he is best at doing.

Sonnen was originally suspended due to his high testosterone levels and felony charges of money laundering. The suspension had not only cost him a rematch with Anderson Silva but since has cost him a coaching spot on The Ultimate Fighter, where he was replaced by the newly-signed Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

If you're a fan of Sonnen, get ready for some more wild comments as he will undoubtedly be back to trash talking the majority of the division and getting his chance to back it up. Not that his suspension has kept him from talking, as he has let many UFC fighters have a piece of his mind already including Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva.