UFC
Reported Chael Sonnen vs. Lyoto Machida bout not happening on fall UFC event
Jul 6, 2011 - 6:30:03 PM Reported Chael Sonnen vs. Lyoto Machida bout not happening on fall UFC event

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The reported light heavyweight fight between Chael Sonnen and Lyoto Machida will not be coming to an event this fall, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.

Per the report, the fight was only "briefly entertained," but did not come to fruition for UFC 136 in October, and both fighters are awaiting different opponents for the fall.

Sonnen's return is dependent upon getting licensed after his suspension in California came to an end late last month. His alleged need for testosterone replacement therapy could complicate that process after what happened with Nate Marquardt in Pennsylvania.

Machida will be looking to get back into the title picture after a front kick knockout of Randy Couture in April. The win snapped a two fight losing streak for Machida, which happen to be the only two losses of his career.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: It was a fight that made sense if Sonnen was going to jump up in weight, and after the things he's said about Machida and Team Blackhouse on Twitter it would have been an easy sell for the UFC. But I'm not entirely surprised that it's not coming to fruition. They still don't know for sure whether Sonnen will even get licensed, and that entire situation needs to be fleshed out before he can return to the cage. It's a little disappointing that it's not happening because of the build up it could have had, and if Sonnen is going to be brought back this is a fight that would have really worked.