Getty/TMZ Chael Sonnen
Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen was detained on December 18, 2021, in Las Vegas and cited for five counts of misdemeanor battery, according to TMZ.
Details have been scarce about the alleged incident, however a witness told TMZ that they saw Sonnen “banging on the door of a hotel room at the Four Seasons around 7 PM Saturday night.”
“A couple walked by and a physical altercation broke out — the reason why is unclear,” the witness told the outlet.
The nearly 50-fight retired fighter “easily handled the man,” and the woman accompanying the man “began to scream, and someone called the police,” TMZ reported.
Police arrived on the scene and “The American Gangster” was detained and issued five citations of misdemeanor battery. However, he wasn’t arrested because law enforcement didn’t witness the incident themselves, as per TMZ.
It’s been days since TMZ broke the news, and Sonnen hasn’t publicly spoken about the alleged incident. But, some details have finally been shared.
Podcaster and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, who knows Sonnen personally, addressed the incident during his “Below the Belt” YouTube show.
Schaub spoke with Sonnen on the phone after he heard the news, and that’s when The American Gangster told him what happened, Schaub said on the podcast.
According to Schaub, Sonnen was with his wife Brittany, and “some drunk guy with his girl kept making comments about his (Sonnen’s) wife,” talking “about her “t*ts, her a**, right in front of” The American Gangster.
“Well, play stupid games win stupid prizes,” Schaub said. “Because you’re talking and disrespecting one of the toughest guys on the planet. And definitely one of the toughest to ever compete in the UFC, or Bellator for that matter.
“And you’re doing it in front of his face, and there’s going to be repercussions. And any guy that wouldn’t do that for their girl, ladies, you’ve got a girlfriend.”
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Schaub Continued, Said the Man ‘Deserved It’
Schaub continued, saying that this incident only “adds to the legend of Chael Sonnen, he was protecting his girl. And for that dumba** who got absolutely annihilated by the great Chael Sonnen, you deserved it, man.
“And that’s what you get. So, you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.”
Schaub said that the incident took place while The American Gangster and Brittany were walking to their hotel room. “He stuck up for his girl and beat the s*** out of the guy,” Schaub said. “That’s all there is.”
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A Citation Was Issued for ‘Each Individual Victim’
Las Vegas Police Public Information Officer Larry Hadfield shared a statement with MMA Fighting about the incident.
“Sonnen was issued a battery citation for each individual victim, then escorted off property,” Hadfield’s statement reads. “Due to the fact the misdemeanors were committed outside of a police officer’s presence, an arrest was not conducted.”
Schaub’s recount of what happened only included the one man that Sonnen came to blows with, however Hadfield’s statement says that there were five individuals.
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