UFC veteran Chael Sonnen stunned by Brendan Langley case dismissal, questions if charges were even considered

Ex-three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has been left stunned by the verdict of the Brendan Langley assault case. Back in 2022, footage emerged of the former NFL wide receiver physically assaulting an airline worker at Newark Liberty International Airport.

However, Langley was later cleared of the physical assault charges after additional footage revealed that the airline worker in question had been the aggressor in the situation. Sonnen took to X/Twitter to reveal his surprise that Langley was charged at all.

"Cleared?!?! Who tried to charge him??!"

The assault case isn't a topic Sonnen usually gives his opinion on. 'The American Gangster' hasn't fought, at least professionally, since 2019 following a TKO loss to former UFC light heavyweight champion and karateka extraordinaire Lyoto Machida. Since then, he has transitioned into an analyst role.

For the most part, he offers his opinions on MMA and, occasionally, wrestling, both of which sports he is familiar with. He often provides insider takes on rumored fights and scenarios, with varying degrees of accuracy. As a fighter, Sonnen has an unremarkable 31-17-1 record.

He did, however, make the most of his run as a fighter. Despite never being the best fighter in any weight class he competed in, Sonnen parlayed his gift of gab into becoming one of the UFC's top stars, at least in his generation. It led to him fighting for a UFC title thrice.

The first time saw him challenge the great Anderson Silva for middleweight gold at UFC 117. Despite a largely dominant performance, he lost in the final round due to a triangle armbar. After a two-fight win streak, Sonnen faced Silva in a title rematch at UFC 148 that was far less one-sided in his favor.

Silva TKO'd him in round one, after which Sonnen moved up to light heavyweight, challenging Jon Jones for the division's title at UFC 159. However, it was a completely dominant performance from Jones, who TKO'd him in round one.

---

Chael Sonnen had his own out-of-cage altercation

In late 2021, Chael Sonnen was involved in an altercation at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Sonnen is alleged to have angrily banged on the door of a hotel room, upon which Sonnen was accused of physically assaulting a married couple.

Check out Chael Sonnen being arrested:

The attack is said to have happened without provocation. While he initially avoided being formally charged, he later faced misdemeanor battery charges. Ultimately, he pled no contest to a misdemeanor count of breaching the pace.