Chael Sonnen to apply for referee license for Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman rematch at UFC 168

In professional wrestling, this is called a "special guest referee."

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight number one contender, Chael Sonnen, may be competing as a light heavyweight, but he's still got his eyes on the prize down at 185 pounds. In fact, he's already announced a potential return south following his appearance this weekend in "Beantown."

And what better what to get a scouting report than to share a cage with the top two fighters in that division?

Sonnen tells MMA Fighting he's applying for a referee license to officiate the Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman rematch at UFC 168, which takes place on Dec. 28, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Considering his rocky relationship with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), that could be a fool's errand.

Then again, you won't know until you try.

"I'm putting in an application. I'm going to try to get my referee's license, and I'm hoping to officiate [Weidman vs. Silva]. Whether they assign me to it or not, I've reffed plenty of matches in other jurisdictions, and I'm applying for that one in Nevada."

Sounds legit.

Sonnen may need a career in officiating to fall back on if this prophecy comes true. "The American Gangster" is slated to hook 'em up with Mauricio Rua in this Saturday night's (Aug. 17, 2013) main event of UFC Fight Night 26, which takes place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

And worst-case scenario, he always has this to fall back on.

Getting another go-round against Silva could be a pretty tall order, since Sonnen was already finished twice by "The Spider." But it's not unreasonable to think he could get a crack at Weidman if he's able to string together another couple of wins at 185 pounds.

Starting with this guy.