10 Chael Sonnen Controversies We Won't Forget

By Jay Anderson /

5. Sonnen Loses His Real Estate License/Political Career

Now we're getting into the real nitty-gritty. Once upon a time, Chael Sonnen was a man with political aspirations. And you know what? Even if he's the MMA equivalent of a used car salesman at times, I think he would have made a decent politician. See, Chael's always looked out for himself, but he's also intentionally gone out of his way to do it in a way that benefits his fans, and the UFC in general. Given that most politicians are crooks anyway, I actually think Sonnen would have done a decent job at it. I legitimately think he would have stuck up for the people, even if he stumbled a few times along the way. And if there's one thing Sonnen is good at, it's fighting - something I feel would translate well to the political arena. He received the Republication nomination for District 37 in Oregon in 2010, and everything was good to go, right? Not so fast. A real estate transaction from 2006 suddenly came to light - one that had Sonnen accused of some pretty serious stuff. Kickbacks. Fraud. Nasty. Oh, did I mention that Sonnen was licensed to sell real estate? The guy really is a jack of all trades. In essence, Sonnen was accused of mortgage fraud, and was said to have submitted false papers instructing a title company to disburse $69,000 to a contractor for repairs, when the majority of the money actually went to the buyer. Chael plead out to money laundering and was give two years probation, a $10,000 fine, and lost his real estate license, as well as his hopes of a life in office.