Dana White: “Sonnen Got It Stuck To Him”

Sonnen leaves the cage last August

Recent ruling seems too severe to UFC President

LAS VEGAS — Dana White has never been one to keep his opinions to himself. Tuesday afternoon, White shared his thoughts on suspended middleweight contender Chael Sonnen’s current situation.

“I’m pretty bummed out about the Chael Sonnen thing, and the way this thing was handled. I don’t know if there has ever been a penalty laid down… I mean Tyson, when Tyson bit the ear, he got a year. It’s pretty crazy.”

Sonnen set Twitter buzzing when he said during his recent hearing with the California State Athletic Commission that White said he would have to retire if he didn’t come away from the session with a license.

“It’s not that he’d have to retire,” said White of Sonnen’s comment from last week. “But right now was his opportunity. This kid had the opportunity to coach The Ultimate Fighter, he had the opportunity to get a big fight set up. Should he win that fight, everybody knows what happened with Anderson Silva. This was a key moment in this kid’s career.”

While White said the UFC will continue to support the decisions handed down by the various athletic commissions, he feels like the current punishment is excessive.

“You’ve heard me say it for almost 11 years, we always support what the athletic commission says, but this kid got it stuck to him. He’s paid his dues in every way, shape and form, and I think he’s been treated a bit unfairly.”

Sonnen is eligible to reapply for a license in California as of June 29 of this year when his current license expires. He will be required to appear before the committee when making his application, and a denial of his application would require him to sit out another year before applying again.