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White won't use option to fight Sonnen overseas

Chael Sonnen has not fought since he gave Anderson Silva the fright of his life at UFC 117 © Getty Images

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Dana White will not pursue the possibility of using Chael Sonnen on overseas fight cards, despite believing the California State Athletic Commission has made a huge mistake in upholding the middleweight's ban.

Sonnen needs to regain his fight license from the CSAC, but he lost his recent appeal by a 4-1 majority. The American can re-appeal at the end of June, but there is no obvious reason for why he will enjoy a turnaround in result.

There is a loophole that would still allow Sonnen to fight, with the CSAC only acting on behalf of the US. Sonnen could easily get a license in order to fight on one of the UFC's overseas cards, but White will adhere to the rules.

"We don't do that," White said to MMA Fighting. "He's going to have to pay his dues and straighten his stuff out with [the CSAC], even though I think what's happened to him is wrong.

"I think Chael has paid his dues. Can you keep a guy from making a living for having a big mouth? He's a big mouth. He says dumb [crap]. He says stuff that doesn't make sense sometimes.

"He lives on his own little planet. I can tell you this: You go throughout the history of boxing and look at some of the guys that have been licensed in boxing and what they've done."

Having recently acquired Strikeforce, White is aware that Josh Barnett is currently fighting under the Zuffa umbrella despite a lack of a California license. That situation will not act as precedent for the UFC though.

"We will honour it. We won't let him fight anywhere," White said. "We'll honour that suspension until it's cleared up. [The CSAC) regulate me - they're my boss too. You show me a guy who fought the government and won. Show me that guy. I want to meet him. I don't want to be the guy to try. I do what I'm told."

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