Police: Ex-UFC fighter says he doesn’t recall alleged Las Vegas hotel attack
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen told police he didn’t remember an attack in a Las Vegas hotel hallway, just after witnesses said they feared for their lives during the alleged attack, according to an arrest warrant released Tuesday.
Sonnen, 44, faces a felony count of battery by strangulation and 10 counts of misdemeanor battery related to the Dec. 18 incident.
On Friday, Christopher and Julie Stellpflug filed a lawsuit against the former professional fighter, who they claim repeatedly punched them without provocation in a hallway of the Four Seasons, 3960 Las Vegas Boulevard South, around 7:30 p.m.
According to the Feb. 4 arrest warrant, Sonnen told police after the attack that he and his wife had taken Ambien and “did not have memory of anything” related to the attack. He repeatedly asked police if everyone involved was OK.
Sonnen’s wife, Brittney, told police she was asleep “for the entirety of the brawl,” according to a police report.
According to the warrant, Sonnen was choking Christopher Stellpflug while Julie Stellpflug “continued to yell and scream for help.” He then threw her against a light fixture and punched her in the face, she told police.
As this was happening, another man came out of his room and tried to stop Sonnen. A security guard arrived and Sonnen punched him in the throat, according to the warrant.
Another man, an engineer at the hotel, said he opened the door to the hallway, got punched in the face, and closed the door again before calling for security.
Three people ended up hospitalized, police said.
When police spoke with Brittany Sonnen, she said she had taken Ambien at about 4 p.m. and woke up as security guards were escorting her out of the room, the report states. An officer who authored the report indicated that Brittany Sonnen was injured, but the officer did not elaborate on her injuries.
A hearing in the criminal case is set for Wednesday.
Sonnen was a two-time silver medalist in wrestling at the Pac-10 championships for Oregon and also took second place in the world university championships in 2000.
He was 0-3 in UFC title fights, losing twice to middleweight champion Anderson Silva and then once to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in 2013.
Sonnen has spent his retirement as a commentator and podcaster. The jiu-jitsu black belt is also the founder of Submission Underground, a popular grappling promotion.
Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.
