Chael Sonnen Suspended For Drug Use

Chael Sonnen could have been the UFC Middleweight Champion had he finished off Anderson Silva at UFC 117. He was so close... two minutes away from the UFC middleweight title but Silva spoiled it with a late triangle choke to force Sonnen to a tapout. All of the four and a half rounds of Sonnen domination ended with a quick submission move by the Brazilian champion.

Most fans believed that after walking the talk, Sonnen deserved another shot at the title. Dana White, who is not a huge fan of rematches, set a rematch between Sonnen and Silva in early 2011. This should have brought in more pay-per-view buys and more money to the table.

Unfortunately, Sonnen admitted to drug use during testing after his title match. He was found to have high levels of testosterone brought about by the intake of performance-enhancement drugs.

Sonnen has been suspended for at least one year and fined $2,500 by the CSAC. If we are to consider all other losses such as the opportunity to fight Silva next year and his loss of potential endorsement deals, Sonnen stands to lose probably more that can reach $1 million.

Too bad... Now either Vitor Belfort or Yushin Okami would have a shot at the title after their eliminator at UFC 122.