Chael Sonnen may not be fighting professionally anymore, but he can still beat the crap out of people.
The retired UFC fighter is being charged with 11 counts of battery, including a felony, stemming from a incident in December while he was in Las Vegas. The felony is being classified as battery by strangulation.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by ESPN, Sonnen is accused of having attacked six people. He is also alleged to have used “force of violence upon” a woman “by punching/striking” and pushing her.
As a result of his charges, ESPN quickly made the decision to sideline him.
“Sonnen currently works as an MMA analyst for ESPN. “Chael will not appear on ESPN as we explore the details of these serious charges,” the company said in a statement.
Sonnen’s first court appearance is scheduled for April 27. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
Sonnen was previously charged with five counts of battery after the incident, but those charges were dropped in January.
The 44-year-old once fought Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship and lost two matches to the legendary Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight championship.
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Sonnen never returned to the UFC after he was suspended two years by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for several performance-enhancing drugs.
He retired from MMA competition in 2019 and has worked for multiple promotions and media outlets as an analyst.
