3 MMA fighters currently facing criminal charges

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#3. Chael Sonnen

UFC Fight Night: Shogun v Sonnen

Following an incident in December, former UFC fighter and MMA analyst Chael Sonnen was charged with 11 separate counts of battery, including one felony.

Allegedly, Sonnen was involved in a brawl at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Multiple hotel patrons, including a woman, accused Sonnen of assaulting them unprovoked. Cops arrived on the scene, yet Sonnen was never arrested, only detained and given citations. All charges were supposedly dropped in January but have recently resurfaced with new, grim details attached. Fellow former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub accompanied Sonnen to Vegas and was present during the incident. He refuses to believe any of the charges against Sonnen carry any truth.

Christopher and Julie Stellpflug, a couple involved in the attack, are now suing Sonnen for $15k in damages endured in the assault. Julie claims she was brutally punched by Sonnen when she intervened to stop the brawl. Her partner reports being elbowed and strangled by the former mixed martial artist. The severe case against him left ESPN no choice but to remove him from future content until further notice.

Before retiring in 2019, Sonnen fought across many fight promotions, including the UFC and Bellator. The 45 year old's professional MMA career began in 1997 and finished at 31 wins, 17 losses, and 1 draw.

Sonnen is set to appear in court in Las Vegas on April 27.