UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen's sentencing for money-laundering plea delayed

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Chael Sonnen's legal issues aren't done quite yet.

The UFC middleweight contender was set for a court appearance on Monday for sentencing for a guilty plea to federal money laundering charges stemming from a real estate deal in 2006. The UFC then froze Sonnen's contract until the situation was played out, and were awaiting this sentencing before Sonnen moved on with his fighting career.

However, Sonnen's court appearance has been rescheduled back to April 8 at the U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore. Sonnen is expected to receive two years of probation and a $10,000 fine, along with having his real estate license revoked as part of his plea deal.

Sonnen hasn't fought since his fifth round loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last August. He tested positive for steroids after the event and was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for a year, though he appealed that result and had it reduced to six months, a time he has now completed.

Penick's Analysis: It's only a week and a half delay on this, so it's not a huge deal on his part as far as his return to the cage is concerned. As soon as his sentence is official, the UFC is likely to get him booked in a fight and we'll probably see him return this summer. A fight with Michael Bisping would make sense if the UFC wanted to put it together. There could be some backlash to Sonnen whenever he does return, but somehow he's still managed to maintain a legion of fans throughout each of his ordeals, so who knows just what the reaction will be when he comes back.

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