ESPN has taken MMA analyst Chael Sonnen off its broadcasts after being charged with 11 counts of battery.
The retired UFC fighter was involved in a brawl at a Las Vegas hotel last December and was initially issued five misdemeanor battery citations. Those citations were dismissed in January, which meant prosecutors could refile charges and did so on March 16.
Among the 11 counts of battery is a felony charge of battery by strangulation, according to TMZ, which first reported the story. Sonnen is ordered to appear in court on April 27.
“Chael will not appear on ESPN as we explore the details of these serious charges,” a network spokesman told ESPN.com’s Marc Raimondi.
ESPN procured a copy of the criminal complaint filed against Sonnen which says that he attacked six people in the Dec. 18 incident, including the man he allegedly strangled. He’s accused of punching five people, also kicking, kneeing, and striking with his elbow. The complaint also states that Sonnen used “force of violence” upon a woman by pushing and “punching/striking” her.
Sonnen joined ESPN as an MMA analyst in 2014, following a stint with Fox Sports. He agreed to a multi-year extension with the network last year.
The former UFC and Bellator fighter appears across ESPN platforms as a studio and on-site analyst for major UFC events, which includes analysis on SportsCenter. He also hosts The Chael Sonnen Show with Jorge Sedano on ESPN+, clips of which appears on ESPN’s MMA YouTube channel.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
