Chael Sonnen News

Tito Ortiz, Chael Sonnen
Golden Boy Promotions

Tito Ortiz calls out Chael Sonnen: 'I'm going to beat you down'

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2018

Shortly after he knocked out his arch rival Chuck Liddell in the main event of the first-ever Golden Boy MMA card late last month, former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz announced that he planned to retire from MMA for good and focus on his burgeoning career as a fight promotor. “I’m done.” Ortiz said when asked if he’d be retiring. “There is nobody left I want to fight. I just want to continue to help the sports grow as a promoter. I want to help give back to the fighters.”

Chael Sonnen, Conor McGregor
Chuck Liddell

Chael Sonnen gives harsh critique of Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell 'disaster'

Tom Taylor - November 26, 2018

Last weekend, UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz met for a third time. They did so in the main event of the first MMA card promoted by long-time boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya. While some fight fans were impressed by Oscar De La Hoya’s first MMA offering, Bellator MMA star Chael Sonnen was not. In fact, he’s calling it a ‘disaster.’

Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz 3
Chuck Liddell

Chael Sonnen rips "has beens" Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell

Chris Taylor - November 22, 2018

Former two-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is not supporting this weekend’s third fight between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. “The American Gangster” recently took to Twitter where he referred to both men, Ortiz and Liddell, as “has beens”.

Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Joe Rogan
Ronda Rousey

Chael Sonnen gives in-depth assessment of Ronda Rousey's UFC career

Tom Taylor - November 21, 2018

There was a time not all that long ago when former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was considered not only the best female mixed martial artist on the planet, but one of the best fighters alive outright. Unfortunately, her legendary reign crumbled rather abruptly when she was stopped in back-to-back fights with Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Today, Ronda Rousey is enjoying tremendous success as a pro wrestler in WWE. Unfortunately, many MMA fans are still critical of the former UFC champion for the way she handled the two losses that ended her time in the UFC.

Floyd Mayweather, Tenshin Nasukawa
Floyd Mayweather

Chael Sonnen: Floyd Mayweather 'will be 50-1' after bout with Tenshin Nasukawa

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2018

The mysterious RIZIN 14 showdown between undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and 20-year-old kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa is apparently back on. According to Mayweather, however, it will merely be a boxing exhibition… just three, three-minute rounds of “moving around” for yet another mammoth payday.  While Floyd Mayweather seems to think this fight with Tenshin Nasukawa will be little more than a light sparring session, Bellator star and MMA analyst Chael Sonnen is imploring the pugilist to be a little more discerning.

Chael-Sonnen-Jon-Jones-Anderson-Silva-Fedor-Emelianenko
Chael Sonnen

VIDEO | Chael Sonnen compares his experiences against three of MMA's all-time greats

Drake Riggs - November 13, 2018

Fedor was the strongest, Jon Jones was the most dynamic, and Anderson Silva was the… pic.twitter.com/CpDcVVI2NG — Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) November 13, 2018

Chael Sonnen, Fedor Emelianenko
Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen lists the fighters he considers the best heavyweights in MMA history

Tom Taylor - October 21, 2018

Last weekend, in the main event of Bellator 208, former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen was stopped in the first round by heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. Post-fight Sonnen was quick to offer praise to Emelianenko. In fact, Sonnen says he considers Fedor Emelianenko the best heavyweight in MMA history, while he also considers Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett frontrunners in that debate.

Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen opens up on loss to Fedor Emelianenko: 'Everything hurts'

Tom Taylor - October 16, 2018

Last Saturday night, in the main event of Bellator 208, former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen stepped into the cage with heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. Although Sonnen had some success with his wrestling in this fight, he was ultimately stopped in the waning moments of the first round, as Emelianenko unleashed a veritable meteor shower of ground-and-pound upon his head. Speaking on The MMA Hour on Monday, Chael Sonnen opened up on this loss. He says that, after being dropped early and pounded out on the mat, he’s in significant physical pain. No surprise there.

Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen claims he once 'fought Georges St-Pierre in a basement in LA'

Cole Shelton - October 14, 2018

At Bellator 208, Chael Sonnen was taking on arguably the best heavyweight in MMA history, Fedor Emelianenko. Ultimately, Emelianenko’s power proved to be too much for the former middleweight and natural light heavyweight. Emelianenko dropped Sonnen multiple times during the fight and got the TKO win in the first round. However, even with this loss to Emelianenko, Sonnen can take pride in having fought the best of the best throughout his career. He competed in title fights against the arguable middleweight GOAT in Anderson Silva, and the consensus light heavyweight GOAT in Jon Jones.

Chael Sonnen, Fedor Emelianenko
Bellator 208

Chael Sonnen praises Fedor Emelianenko after Bellator 208: I've never 'been ground-and-pounded like that'

Tom Taylor - October 14, 2018

On Saturday night, in the main event of Bellator 208, former UFC light heavyweight and middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen came up short to heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. Although Sonnen had some success in this short but thrilling fight, landing a handful of takedowns, he had no answer for Emelianenko’s legendary power and ground and pound. “I would call him explosive,” Sonnen told the media of Emelianenko’s skill (via MMA Fighting). “With his punches, there wasn’t a ton of set-ups, they just came and they came hard. Even on the ground, I had some good positions on him and he would just explode. It weren’t exactly technique-based. It was impressive. He’s an impressive athlete.”

Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen, Scott Coker
Bellator 208

Pros react to Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen

Chris Taylor - October 13, 2018

The second semi-final of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix took place tonight at as former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko squared off with former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen. Chael Sonnen entered tonight’s Bellator 208 event having won two fights in a row, his latest being a unanimous decision victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at January’s Bellator 192 event.

Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen

VIDEO | Chael Sonnen slams heavyweight division, 'heavyweights suck'

Drake Riggs - October 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1050603228079915008?s=19 “I think it discredits all the heavyweights completely [if Ryan Bader and I make it to the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix]. The best thing to do with heavyweights is to keep them the hell [away] from any other weight class. They’re the worst athletes in the room, they’re the slowest guys in the room. They’re the laziest guys in the room – which is why they weigh so goddamn much.

Chael Sonnen, Fedor Emelianenko
Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen hoping to join the company of Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali with Bellator HWGP win

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

The MMA career of Chael Sonnen is one for the history books. He’s bested opponents like Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Michael Bisping, Brian Stann, Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami and Alexey Oleynik. He’s battled legends like Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. He helped revolutionize the way fighters promote themselves, ushering in an era of trash talk and showmanship that, though long present in boxing and pro wrestling, had not yet taken hold in MMA. If there’s one thing that has eluded Chael Sonnen over the course of his legendary MMA career, however, it’s a major world title. Though he has fought for titles in WEC and the UFC, he’s never managed to wrap a gold belt around his waist in a major promotion.

Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen, Scott Coker
Chael Sonnen

Bellator 208 weigh-in results: Fedor Emelianenko just 9 pounds heavier than Chael Sonnen, two fights get scrapped

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

On Saturday night, after tonight’s Bellator 207 card, Bellator MMA will touch down in Uniondale, New York with Bellator 208. This second card of the weekend will be headlined by a  Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinal showdown between former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen and heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. On Friday morning, the many talented fighters competing on the Bellator 208 bill took to the scales to weigh in for their imminent battles.

Conor McGregor, Chael Sonnen
Conor McGregor

Chael Sonnen has a message for fans who believe Conor McGregor deserves blame for UFC 229 brawl

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

Last weekend, shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event, a massive brawl broke out between the two fighters’ teams. Nurmagomedov leapt over the side of the Octagon and attacked McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis, while McGregor got into it with several of Nurmagomedov’s teammates inside the cage. It was a scene of pure, unbridled chaos that took several minutes to quell. Ever since this incident, the MMA community has been struggling to assign blame. There are some fans that believe that Khabib Nurmagomedov started it all by jumping over the cage and attacking Dillon Danis. There are others, meanwhile, that feel that Conor McGregor deserves the blame because he threw the first clearly visible punch of the skirmish.

Chael Sonnen Bellator 208
Chael Sonnen

PHOTO | This Bellator 208 poster is something else

Tom Taylor - August 23, 2018

One of the biggest fights on Bellator MMA’s calendar is the Bellator 208 main event, which will see heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko meet three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen in the semifinal round of the promotion’s exciting Heavyweight Grand Prix. This week, the promotion released a promotional poster for this Bellator 208 card, and it’s really something.

Jon Jones
Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen: Jon Jones knows something we don't

Tom Taylor - August 19, 2018

Chael Sonnen thinks that former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones knows something we don’t. More specifically, Sonnen believes that Jones knows that his current situation with USADA will soon be in the rear-view, and that he’ll be eligible to fight again very soon. Sonnen even speculates that Jones might already knows the setting of his next fight: November 3 at UFC 230 in New York City. The evidence, Sonnen says, is in Jones’ social media activity.