Time heals all wounds.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen, who drew the ire of Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer in May 2011, is expected to have "no problem" getting his license to fight in "Sin City," according to a report from USA Today:
"Last time, I would not issue (Sonnen) an administrative license, so that forced him if he wanted to to go to a hearing," he said. "He chose not to do that - probably the wise move. "This time, I don't see a problem giving it to him administratively, but that would be the chairman's call. If he says, 'Keith, you're free to do so,' I will do so. If he says, 'Keith, I want him on a commission meeting,' he'll be on a commission meeting."
Good thing, too, considering the promotion recently switched his main event title fight against reigning division champion Anderson Silva to UFC 148 on July 7, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Sonnen was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) last year for fabricating testimony in a previous hearing while accounting for his failed drug test at UFC 117 -- not to mention his felony conviction in Oregon for money laundering.
Part of his defense strategy was dropping Kizer's name in reference to conversations they (never) had about policy and procedure as it related to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), the treatment that led to Sonnen's failed drug test.
That's all (tainted) water under the bridge.
UFC President Dana White revealed during a LIVE press conference yesterday (April 24) that the rematch between Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen has been relocated from South America to Las Vegas, because the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion could not secure a suitable venue.
UFC 147 will go on as planned elsewhere in Brazil on June 23, 2012, but it just won't have the "biggest fight in the history of combat" sports atop the marquee. On the contrary, that distinction now apparently belongs to the Fourth of July weekend pay-per-view (PPV) event, which most likely demotes Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber to co-main event status.
The show must go on.
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