Chael Sonnen now allowed to apply for fighter's license in California and elsewhere after June 29, 2011

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Chael Sonnen may not be out quite as long as was thought, as the California State Athletic Commission has altered their previous ruling on him, and he will be free to apply for a new license in the state and elsewhere after his current license expires on June 29.

The commission sent out a press release clarifying his current predicament. Initially they had cited a rule that would have barred him from applying in California until one year from his meeting with the commission this week. However, after further review, they realized that rule does not apply in this case.

"Upon reviewing the May 18, 2011 decision of the commission, an error in the applicability of Rule 399 was made," the release stated (via MMAJunkie.com). "The rule states that, 'Any applicant who has been denied an application for a license may not file a similar application until one year from the date of the last previous denial by the commission. Any application filed within the one year period may be denied without the necessity of a hearing. Anyone who has had his license revoked may not petition for reinstatement or apply for a new license until one year after the date of such revocation. Any petition for reinstatement filed within the one year period may be denied without the necessity of a hearing.'

"Since the commission did not revoke or deny Mr. Sonnen's license, the rule does not apply."

Sonnen will still need to appear in front of the commission again should he decide to apply for a license in the state, but a denial at that point would mean he could not apply for one year from that denial.

Sonnen's name will remain on a registry that tracks fighters' medical and administrative suspensions until June 29. Initially, were Sonnen to apply in another state after that, the CSAC was going to request that those commissions contact them, though with this new ruling it's not known whether that will still be the case.

This does not clear him for The Ultimate Fighter, however, as the cutoff date for him to settle his issues in Nevada to get a second's license in order to be a coach on the show is June 5, and he won't be able to apply in the state until after June 29. That said, he may now be able to return to action for the UFC late this summer, and a planned bout with Michael Bisping could still be an option.

Penick's Analysis: This is good news for Sonnen and his fans, and allows the UFC to use him elsewhere after June 29. Since his license will have expired, he can go elsewhere without the UFC needing to commission shop. However, if he's going to continue with his testosterone therapy, he may need to go through the official process of getting it cleared by any commission he goes in front of in the future. The knowledge of his treatment is now all out in the open, and considering he's claimed he can't live without the treatment, he'll need to get it cleared or go through the same thing again if his testosterone levels are elevated. But at least in the short term, this is a much better result for him and his supporters than what was initially expected this week.

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