Chael Sonnen News

Drake Riggs - May 17, 2018

https://www.facebook.com/ChaelSonnen/videos/1780799215330807/ “You got a three-way dance for Khabib [Nurmagomedov] right now. And it’s between Eddie [Alvarez], [Dustin] Poirier and Kevin Lee. So the fact that you made a fight between two of those guys, which is Poirier and Eddie… Tells me…by default alone, Kevin Lee’s about to fight for a world title.

Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018

On a recent episode of his Beyond The Fight podcast, MMA analyst and current Bellator star Chael Sonnen delved into the UFC’s extremely controversial choice to cut featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez. While Sonnen had nothing but praise for Rodriguez’s ability, he understands why the UFC had to cut him. Apparently, it all comes down to a UFC policy that all fighters are made aware of. He says Rodriguez violated this policy by turning down two fights.

Drake Riggs - May 15, 2018

Believe it or not, it’s really going to happen. If you were told ten years ago…hell, even a year ago that former top-ranked UFC middleweight, Chael Sonnen would one day be fighting the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time and someone that many believe is the greatest of all time across all divisions, Fedor Emelianenko… How absolutely insane would you think that that person was? Welcome to 2018.

Chris Taylor - May 12, 2018

Earlier this week rapper/actor 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) sent the mixed martial arts community in to a buzz after he teased a potential fight between himself and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on Instagram. Most fight fans laughed off the Fifty’s social media post assuming it to be a simple publicicty stunt.

Tom Taylor - May 3, 2018

When Fedor Emelianenko knocked out Frank Mir in the main event of Bellator 198 last weekend, he advanced to the second round of Bellator’s exciting Heavyweight Grand Prix. The Russian legend, who is widely considered the best heavyweight in MMA history, will now battle Chael Sonnen sometime later this year. Speaking on his podcast this week, Chael Sonnen weighed in on his legendary opponent. Suffice it to say that he’s not as impressed by Emelianenko as most other fight fans are. In fact, Sonnen believes that Emelianenko’s many wins in PRIDE — the very wins that made him a legend — were fixed.

Chris Taylor - April 29, 2018

Fedor Emelianenko responds to Chael Sonnen following Bellator 198 confrontation Fedor Emelianenko picked up one of the biggest wins of his storied mixed martial arts career at last night’s Bellator 198 event in Chicago.

Chris Taylor - April 29, 2018

VIDEO | Chael Sonnen confronts and insults Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 198 Fedor Emelianenko picked up a first-round knockout victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the headliner of last night’s Bellator 198 event.

Justin Golightly - March 22, 2018

Every week and every day is just a countdown to UFC 223 where we hope we finally get to see Khabib Nurmagomedov fighting Tony Ferguson for, some sort of UFC title. We all know it does to the ground. Ferguson is confident that he’ll be able to hold his own there and slice open Nurmagomedov on the bottom, while the Russian smashing machine knows it is Khabib Time. Meanwhile, Chael Sonnen is out here denouncing Sambo, but still praising Nurmagomedov. “Sambo sucks, Sambo has always sucked and I don’t believe Khabib [Nurmagomedov] is a Sambo player. I think somewhere he just wanted to pay respect to Sambo. Being Dagestani, I believe he got the skills he got in a wrestling room. He clings to that Sambo. In the history of them setting up that [UFC] cage, there has never been a contender – let alone a stand-out – that was good at Sambo. It sucks. It’s not real. It’s a fake sport.”

Tom Taylor - March 5, 2018

After watching UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg maul Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 222 last weekend, Chael Sonnen believes he’s identified some glaring holes in her game. Sonnen broke it down in the latest episode of Beyond the Fight, and implored Cyborg’s potential future opponents to listen.

Tom Taylor - February 28, 2018

Over the weekend, UFC President Dana White shared a picture of himself and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar on social media. Given that Lesnar’s WWE contract is winding down, this post created immediate speculation that maybe, just maybe, he was plotting a return to the UFC. 😃 pic.twitter.com/2AVR6HmAjR

Tom Taylor - February 27, 2018

Ahead of their Bellator 192 Heavyweight Grand Prix opening round battle, MMA legends Chael Sonnen and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson agreed to a pretty interesting bet. The deal, they decided, was that Rampage would award Sonnen $10,000 for every takedown he completed, while Sonnen would cash out $500 for every jab Rampage landed. In the end, Sonnen completed three takedowns, which meant Rampage owed him $30,000. For a moment, there was some question as to whether Rampage would sign this massive check. Sonnen assured that if he did receive a check, he wouldn’t cash it.

Justin Golightly - February 27, 2018

The idea of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz fighting again brings out a lot of mixed options. Both men seem to be down for it, but the time and place is what could be a massive hold-up on the trilogy. Bellator president Scott Coker said he’s interested but may not be able to promote it due to Liddell’s contract with the UFC, which prompted Ortiz to talk to the UFC about it. This led to company man Chael Sonnen to blast the former opponent for lack of loyalty. “Tito [Ortiz], after all Scott Coker did for you – I mean they ran you around, you were the face of the company, you were main-eventing, you were making a bunch of money – that’s your response? You’re gonna come out of retirement, and you’re gonna fight Chuck [Liddell] in the UFC? You don’t give that to Coker? You’re gonna do it in the UFC? You finished your career at Bellator. You got treated great at Bellator. You come to the Bellator shows.”

Tom Taylor - February 12, 2018

History says if a younger fighter beats an older fighter and they rematch, the younger fighter wins again…only easier. #BeyondtheFight pic.twitter.com/vr8LpCzF39 — Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) February 12, 2018

Drake Riggs - February 1, 2018

Floyd Mayweather in a cage? He's seeking attention for one reason… #beyondthefight pic.twitter.com/iib6iEU8vE — Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) February 1, 2018

Drake Riggs - January 30, 2018

UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier is no stranger to a good ol’ Heavyweight tournament. Prior to Cormier’s current Light Heavyweight run, he was an undefeated Heavyweight and a Grand Prix champion himself as he won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix as an alternate in 2012. Cormier defeated the likes of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Josh Barnett to win the tournament.

Tom Taylor - January 22, 2018

Leading up to their Bellator 192 battle, Heavyweight Grand Prix competitors Chael Sonnen and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson agreed to a pretty interesting bet. The stakes? Rampage said he’d give Sonnen $10,000 for every takedown he completed. @rampage4real offers me a bet… @bellatormma #beyondthefight #fourpackrevolution

Justin Golightly - January 17, 2018

It seems like every couple of months, rumors start up again that MMA legend Chuck Liddell would end his retirement and return to fight at least one more time. The latest inkling was an Instagram post from Wanderlei Silva, but it looks like his previous feud with one Chael Sonnen is still very much alive and well. The two evidently got into some sort of altercation during the press tour for Bellator 192 which takes place this Saturday. Liddell may or may not be ready to come back to the cage, but Sonnen was ready to throw down right then and there. “I come into the dressing room and there was Chuck [Liddell], face-to-face, and it was awkward. I was doing [The Rich Eisen Show] and he told me, ‘You got a message for Chuck? He’ll be here tomorrow.’ So I gave him a message to Chuck, thinking he would be there tomorrow. Turned out Chuck was in the back, watching it on a monitor, with my mother.”

Justin Golightly - January 9, 2018

The wait is finally over. Bellator is going to kick off their big heavyweight grand prix before this month ends and Chael Sonnen will face off with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. They’ll be throwing down for the chance to advance in the tournament, which will finally crown a Bellator heavyweight champion by the end of this year. MMA is prizefighting, so it makes sense to have a reward. The two are adding the stakes to their upcoming fight with a side-bet using their own cash. “Let’s do it right here, right now. Let’s do it right here.  I will give you $10K for every takedown you get on me. It’s 10 grand per takedown, $500 per jab. […] You won’t take me down not one time. Hey, I’m giving up $10K per takedown, don’t be a wuss. $500 per jab.” — Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson on the ESPN LA radio show.