UFC’s Sonnen pleads no contest in criminal case

Former UFC star Chael Sonnen took a plea deal Wednesday in a criminal case stemming from an incident that happened in December 2021 at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, according to his attorney Dayvid Figler.

Sonnen pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor breach of the peace in Las Vegas Justice Court and was issued a fine of $750, Figler said. No jail time or any other conditions were required and the case is now closed.

Initially, Sonnen was facing six misdemeanor battery charges. Two of those charges were dismissed last year and the other four were dismissed Wednesday by judge Ann Zimmerman due to the plea deal. A felony battery charge stemming from the incident was also dismissed last year.

Six people told police at the time that Sonnen attacked them Dec. 18, 2021, including one man who said the former UFC title contender strangled him, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint stated that Sonnen also used “force of violence” on a woman “by punching/striking” and pushing her.

A married couple, Christopher and Julie Stellpflug, filed a lawsuit against Sonnen in March 2022 based on the incident. The couple’s attorney Kory Kaplan told the Review-Journal on Wednesday that the lawsuit is ongoing.