The hugely popular former MMA fighter also faces a felony charge classified as battery by strangulation
Chael Sonnen © Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Retired UFC contender and social media sensation Chael Sonnen has been charged with 11 counts of battery including a felony classified as battery by strangulation following an incident in Las Vegas in December.
The popular pundit will not appear as an MMA analyst for ESPN while the broadcasters investigates what it described as “serious charges”.
Former middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Sonnen was originally charged with five battery citations in the case.
The dismissal of those charges meant the charges could be refiled, with ESPN.com reporting that the criminal complaint filed against Sonnen concerns an attack on six people, including a man he is accused of strangling.
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The outlet said that Sonnen allegedly used “force of violence upon” a woman “by punching/striking” and pushing her.
The new complaint was filed by the Clark County district attorney with the Las Vegas Justice Court on March 16.
The details of the situation are yet to be released by the court or the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with Sonnen’s first court appearance set for April 27.
ESPN.com said that the 44-year-old did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sonnen used his Instagram account to promote a new episode of his MMA analysis show on ESPN on Tuesday.
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The American chuckled in the clip as he spoofed himself while talking to fellow presenter Jorge Sedano.
He has more than 591,000 followers on the social media platform, where he regularly discusses UFC topics.
During the last week, Sonnen has discussed former champion Conor McGregor’s return from injury and his rivals such as Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier.
Sonnen last fought on a Bellator MMA card in January 2019 and joined Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle Fighting Championship as an analyst in January 2022.
