With negotiations over a plea deal having stalled, Chael Sonnen will head to trial on April 5, 2023, facing charges over an alleged assault case involving multiple complainants.
Per a report by MMA Fighting, Sonnen rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors pertaining to four misdemeanor battery charges, and will now have the case heard before a judge.
“Sometimes, the parties get so close, and sometimes it just doesn’t make it all the way,” Sonnen’s attorney, Dayvid Figler, said during a brief hearing in a Las Vegas Township Justice Court on Wednesday.
Per the prosecution, any plea deal offered has now been revoked.
The incident in question took place at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas on December 18, 2021. At the time, a representative of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told Cageside Press that “LVMPD Officers responded to a resort in the 3900 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard for a report of a fight. Arriving officers contacted the resort’s security who had responded to the incident as well. Through the course of the investigation, LVMPD officers determined that Chael Sonnen had committed a misdemeanor battery against five separate victims.”
Per police, Sonnen was “issued a battery citation for each individual victim, then escorted off property. Due to the fact the misdemeanors were committed outside of a police officer’s presence, an arrest was not conducted.”
Several of the victims opted to press charges, and a handful later sued. That includes Julie and Christopher Stellpflug, who have been removed from the criminal case but continue to pursue remedy in civil court alleging that Sonnen assaulted both of them, and put Christopher Stellpflug in a choke hold.
According to Brendan Schaub, Sonnen was defending his wife in the altercation. However, the former UFC title challenger has never publicly commented on the incident. He has been removed from his ESPN gig, but continues to host his You’re Welcome podcast on Youtube.
