Of course, Chael's status in Nevada may present a little bit of a snag when it comes to making that fight. The Super Bowl weekend card is always held in Vegas to capitalize on the high rollers that flock to the city and they're not likely to change that any time soon.
But should Chael's prior suspension for elevated testosterone levels stand in the way of him getting a new license to compete in the state?
Dana White doesn't think so, and he's bringing a boxing superstar's name into the mix. Via MMA Weekly (ht: MMA Mania):
Chael Sonnen has paid his dues (and) has done his thing, has done whatever. Floyd Mayweather fights in Nevada. This guy's been arrested. He's got 50 lawyers defending him right now and all that crazy stuff and he's fighting in Nevada. Don't even get me going on that one. There's no reason why they shouldn't license Chael. It shouldn't even cross my mind. The thought of whether Chael could get licensed in Nevada or California or anywhere else should be the least of my worries. The guy did everything that he was told to do. When guys like Floyd are getting licensed in Nevada, why should I have to worry about Chael?
A few things here. First off, Floyd's outside the ring actions and Chael's actions which directly related to the fight are apples and oranges.
A more appropriate comparison would be to bring up that Antonio Margarito is going to be fighting in Madison Square Garden in New York City in a matter of weeks and his offense was more dangerous and all around worse than anything Chael did. And I fully believe given the way the state handled the Margarito situation that he should be getting licensed at this point, but that's a discussion for another day.
In the end Dana is right that Sonnen did his time and the point of a suspension is a set amount of time as a punishment. Any state failing to license Chael at this point is grandstanding and nothing more.