It's been awhile since we've heard from Chael Sonnen.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title contender retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) in July after being suspended for two years by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Sonnen failed his UFC 175 drug test and subsequently had his FOX Sports contract terminated in the wake of what transpired, ending his run as co-host of UFC Tonight and appearances on pre and post-fight shows.

The man he was supposed to face, Wanderlei Silva, has been stealing all the headlines recently due to the NSAC dropping the hammer on him at a hearing last Tuesday (Sept. 23, 2014) after he skipped out of a drug test a few months back, giving him a lifetime ban and also fining him $70,000.

Sonnen, who will be calling the action at Battlegrounds O.N.E. next Friday night -- a revival of the one-night tournament in MMA -- alongside professional wrestling and broadcasting legend, Jim Ross, was asked to comment on what went down with his old Brazilian buddy.

"I was really disappointed how things shook out for Wanderlei," Sonnen told MMAmania.com. "You got to understand there are kind of two things at play there. First off, he and I are from a different time. We were fighting back in the 90s and anything he would've done, now, wouldn't have been allowed when we started. We were fighting when there were no gloves. I've got footage of fighting bare knuckle. He has the same thing. The rules changed and certainly guys from our time, he and I are guilty of it, we didn't. We didn't change with the rules."

"It was pretty easy for of us to justify some of our actions by going 'Ah I don't really like that rule.' That's the origin of all sins. All sin and all crime comes from the same thing, 'I decided. I decided this was okay.' Something is a little bit different here. If you go back to where he started, he didn't break any rules. It's different. The rules have changed and sport has changed and they have all changed for the better. They are right and we are completely wrong. But at the same time I get where his mindset was, 'Hey wait a minute, things have changed over time. This used to be allowed and now it's not.'"

Sonnen was never one to shy away from any trash talk or insults toward Silva or whoever he was facing during his colorful career, has seemed to take a much softer stance now that some time has passed and no longer offered any disparaging remarks toward "The Axe Murderer."

In fact, he seems to be okay with him nowadays.

"And the other thing is Wanderlei didn't do anything to anybody," said Sonnen. "Whatever he did or was getting ready to do to me -- I was the opponent in question -- and I forgive him. I forgive him. It's the same thing with me. I wasn't trying to pull something over on anybody other than Vitor. I was trying to get an advantage over Vitor. When it came down I called Vitor and Vitor forgave me. He said, 'I forgive you. We're good.'

Sonnen doesn't take any happiness in seeing what happened to Silva and reiterated that the rules are the rules and that he along with Silva and others, failed to make the necessary changes and that is why they are both in the situations that they are in.

"I don't like how it all went down for him," he said. "It's unfortunate, but we're wrong. The rules aren't wrong. We are and that's it. We have to adapt. Head kicks used to be legal on the ground, too. They're not anymore and now we can't do them. I'm a wrestler. Wrestlers used to make a living off of getting people down and headbutting them. The headbutt became illegal and you don't get to headbutt anymore. The rules are the rules. They are good and they need to be followed and that's it."

Lastly, he gave his former nemesis some parting compliments and praise.

"I think he was a very meaningful presence in this sport and I think he will be remembered like that."