NSAC moves to stop Chael Sonnen from competing at this weekend's Metamoris 4

The Nevada State Athletic Commission believes Chael Sonnen‘s agreement not to compete in any other jurisdiction during his two-year suspension includes a grappling competition against Andre Galvao at this weekend’s Metamoris 4.

Apparently, by Sonnen’s definition, it doesn’t. Now, the commission is threatening to take administrative action against the now-retired fighter in the form of fines, which could stretch into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A source close to the commission, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, today told MMAjunkie that the commission sent a letter to Sonnen this past week informing him that the grappling match violated the terms of his suspension, which was handed down in July after a disciplinary hearing on multiple failed drug tests at UFC 175.

In turn, Sonnen’s legal rep, Jeff Meyer, sent a response that challenged the NSAC’s definition of competing. At the time of this writing, it appears Sonnen will meet Galvao as scheduled. Metamoris takes place Saturday in Los Angeles and streams via online pay-per-view.

Although the grappling competition is not sanctioned by a state athletic commission, as it isn’t considered a combat sport in the same way as are boxing and MMA, the NSAC wants Sonnen to withdraw from the event.

Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter first reported news of the NSAC’s threat to Sonnen and wrote via Twitter that the fighter could be fined $250,000 per drug violation. MMAjunkie was unable to reach Metamoris organizers or Sonnen’s management.

Sonnen (28-14-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC), 37, evaded fines at his hearing and was instead handed a two-year suspension with the caveat that he not compete anywhere else during that period. Additionally, he was ordered to pay costs associated with his drug testing and serve as an educator both to the commission and to fighters on performance-enhancing drugs. Sonnen agreed to the NSAC’s punishment.

In two separate pre-fight drug tests, Sonnen, who was scheduled to meet Vitor Belfort at UFC 175, was flagged for multiple difference performance-enhancing drugs: anastrozole, clomiphene, clomifene, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human growth hormone (HGH) and recombinant human erythropoietin. As a result of the positives, he was scratched from the event and retired from competition. The UFC and FOX, for which he worked an on-air host and analyst, subsequently released him from his contracts.

If Sonnen chooses to compete, the NSAC is likely to address the matter at a subsequent hearing. There, the commission will decide whether or not to levy fines against the fighter.