Following his guilty plea in a mortgage fraud case, UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen has been suspended by the UFC, and his bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama is on hold. TMZ reported that Dana White said that Sonnen's contract is "frozen." "Chael Sonnen has gone through a lot in the last few months and we think it's important for him to focus on getting his personal life together before focusing on his career in the UFC." White adds, "I spoke with Chael earlier today and he agrees that setting priorities in his life is the best thing for him right now. I sincerely hope Chael is able to straighten out his personal life." Sonnen is expected to receive two years probation and be required to pay a $10,000 fine. He is far from the first UFC fighter to run afoul of the law while on the promotion's payroll. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the one-time light heavyweight champ, plead guilty last January to going on a reckless driving spree in southern California. Later in 2009, he coached on "The Ultimate Fighter" and starred in a remake of "The A-Team." Josh Neer fought on Ultimate Fight Night 17 just over a month after his second DUI arrest, but wasn't cut from the UFC until he had two losses in a row. Chris Leben, who fought last weekend at UFC 125, was arrested for a DUI in October 2010 and a probation violation in April 2008.

UFC suspends Sonnen after guilty plea in mortgage fraud

My Sunday morning coffee was met with a wide array of MMA headlines, some surprising, while others are simply the right move. On Friday, we reported that Brock Lesnar's trainers believed the the champ will fight again but that a timetable would be provided at a later date. It appears that timetable was just a one day later as UFC Hall of Famer Randy (The Natural) Couture told Inside MMA that he recently spoke with the champ and that he believed Lesnar's health issues were now under control, he's back training and may be back in The Octagon fighting as early as the Spring. We all know how much Dana White dislikes his fighters leaving for Hollywood, but this may not be the case for one of his closest friends, Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell. The former light-heavyweight champ appears to have secured a roll in the feature film "Passion Play," starring Mickey Rourke and Megan Fox. While Dana usually spews a fair amount of verbal hatred for most things Hollywood, for once, he may actually thank Tinseltown for providing Liddell an avenue to re-route his obsession for fighting. If this is the case, then his retirement bout will no doubt be versus Tito Ortiz, expected to take place in June or July. Fresh off the release of "The A-Team" trailer, Quinton (Rampage) Jackson appeared in a California court, donning his B.A. Baracus mohawk where he received three years probation stemming from his Newport beach high speed chase in 2008. In March, Rampage will head to the Wolfslair Gym in London, England to begin training for his next fight, a bout vs. Rashad Evans, tentatively scheduled as the co-main event at UFC 113 in Montreal, QC. Misc MMA News Strikeforce MMA has announced that when former NFL great Herschel Walker makes his MMA debut at the end of the month, his opponent will be Greg Nagy (1-1). The organization is also all but certain that Bobby Lashley's opponent will be Yohan Banks (2-1), who won his last fight via KO, just 19 seconds into the first round. Some big UFC bouts on the docket appear to pit Anthony Johnson vs. John Howard and Sean Sherk vs. Clay Guida at UFN 21 March 21st, Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek at UFC 111 March 27th, Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera at UFN 22 March 31st, as well as Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens, and Jonathan Goulet vs. Marcus Davis at UFC 113 May 1st. After a TKO loss to Eric Wisely last night, former WEC Champ and UFC veteran Hermes Franca has decided to hang up the gloves. Franca once challenged for the UFC's lightweight championship, nearly KO'ing Sean Sherk in the title bout with incredible knees. Four of Franca's last five fights have been losses triggering the BJJ standout into realizing he simply can no longer hang with the best in the division. With UFN 20 in Fairfax, Virginia set to go live Monday night on Rogers Sportsnet, the UFC is already planning ahead for UFN 22. Rumour has it the organization will likely hold the event in North Carolina, a state where they have already held three successful events (UFC 3, UFC 5, UFN 16).

Brock Lesnar on the mend

former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin has decided to use his downtime to correct a slight tear in his abdomen. Franklin last fought at UFC 103, where he was knocked out in the first round by Vitor Belfort. Franklin told the website that the injury first arose while preparing for his UFC 93 bout with Dan Henderson last January and has lingered until now. “It’s not real painful yet, but I’m having it taken care of prior to it becoming a major problem,” said Franklin. The former 185-pound king is hoping to make a return sometime in the spring, preferably the May 1st card if he can get cleared in time to put together a solid training camp. UFC 113 is being rumored to take place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 1st. The rumor mill has the rematch between light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua slated as the main event of the card. A grudge match between Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is also expected to take place at the event.

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin Has Surgery