Chael Sonnen News

Tom Taylor - August 28, 2017

Last Saturday, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor came up short in his effort to shock the world with an upset defeat of undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. Even in defeat, however, McGregor made an absolute killing for this boxing match. His disclosed purse clocked in at $30 million, while his pay is likely to spike north of $100 million once pay-per-view sales are factored in. Given the scale of this payday, there has been widespread speculation that McGregor will never return to the less-lucrative world of MMA. Apparently, however, this is not the case.

Tom Taylor - August 3, 2017

Back in January, in the main event of Bellator 170, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz retired with an abrupt submission win over three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen. Though you might expect this outcome to mark the end on the pair’s beef, it didn’t. Several months later, during Sonnen’s Bellator NYC battle with rival Wanderlei Silva, Ortiz could be seen chirping him from cage-side. Now several months removed from this battle with Silva, which he won by unanimous decision, Sonnen discussed Ortiz’s mid-fight actions with Duane Finley of FloCombat.com.

Tom Taylor - August 2, 2017

Though he is no longer the UFC superstar he once was, Chael Sonnen has carved out some real success under the Bellator MMA banner. His first fight, of course, was a disappointing loss to the retiring legend Tito Ortiz. In his next fight, however, he rebounded with a dominant decision win over long-time rival and bona fide MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. From the sounds of it, Sonnen’s habit of battling aging legends is likely to continue. In a recent interview with FloCombat.com, the three-time UFC title challenger suggested that his next fight is likely to pit him against former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

Tom Taylor - July 27, 2017

This weekend, in the main event of UFC 214, former light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound great Jon Jones will attempt to reclaim the title he never actual lost opposite dominant reigning champion Daniel Cormier. The bout stands out as the biggest of the year thus far, and pretty much everybody has an opinion on it. One of the latest members of the MMA community to share their opinion on the fight was three-time UFC title challenger, current Bellator star, and perennial soundbite-generator Chael Sonnen. Sonnen, who lost a title fight against Jones in 2013, gave his take on the fight in an interview with Duane Finley of FloCombat.

Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017

Last weekend, in the main event of Bellator NYC, three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen took on one of his fiercest rivals in Wanderlei Silva. Though he was rocked badly by a punch mid-way through the fight, Sonnen dominated with his wrestling through the rest of the encounter, and ultimately won himself a unanimous decision as a result. Though Sonnen followed this performance with callouts of Bellator stars like Fedor Emelianenko, Rory MacDonald, and even Chuck Liddell, he has been called out himself by the Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho.

Chris Taylor - June 25, 2017

Wanderlei Silva releases a statement following loss to Chael Sonnen Mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei Silva returned to the cage for the first time in four years last night at Madison Square Garden where he took on bitter rival Chael Sonnen in the evenings main event.

Chris Taylor - June 25, 2017

Pros react to Chael Sonnen defeating Wanderlei Silva Chael Sonnen picked up his first win since August of 2013 last night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Chris Taylor - June 25, 2017

Chael Sonnen rips former opponent Tito Ortiz following his victory over Silva Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen picked up his first win since August of 2013 last night at Madison Square Garden, scoring a unanimous decision victory over bitter rival Wanderlei Silva in the main event of Bellator NYC.

Russell Ess - June 22, 2017

The long-awaited fight between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva is set to take place this weekend at Bellator NYC. The two rivals will meet in the main event of the evening on Saturday night, live on pay-per-view.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2017

Back in late 2015, the seemingly unbeatable Ronda Rousey was knocked senseless by a second-round Holly Holm head kick. The once dominant fighter did not respond well to this match of adversity, disappearing from the MMA limelight for well over a year. Ultimately, of course, Rousey did march back to the cage, where she attempted to reclaim the women’s bantamweight crown from new champion Amanda Nunes. Regrettably for Rousey and her throngs of fans, this comeback fight went even worse than her bout with Holm, as she was knocked out by Nunes in less than a minute.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2017

On Saturday, June 24, in the main event of the stacked Bellator NYC card, three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen will collide with Pride legend Wanderlei Silva in a fight that should go down as one of the biggest fights Bellator has ever promoted. Given the unfortunate, PED-related history of both men, of course, one would hope that both will undergo significant testing in the buildup to and fallout of this fight. Yet when asked previously by MMAFighting.com what kind of testing the two stars will undergo, the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) gave a rather vague answer.

Tom Taylor - May 11, 2017

Though Chael Sonnen is currently spearheading his own submission grappling league in Submission Underground (SUG), he is also staying busy on the competitive grappling circuit through his involvement in other promotions. This September, for example, he was supposed to compete under the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) banner, where he was expected to battle American Top Team coach Ricardo Liborio. Unfortunately, Liborio was forced to withdraw from this competition. The good news is that he’s been replaced by an even more recognizable member of the MMA community. Sonnen will now lock horns with former UFC heavyweight champion and decorated BJJ black belt Frank Mir.

Tom Taylor - April 16, 2017

Last night, in the main event of UFC on Fox 24, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson – known by the ring name “Mighty Mouse” – made a whopping 10th straight defense of his title. He did so with a third-round, arm bar induced submission defeat of BJJ blackbelt Wilson Reis – an incredible feat in its own right. With this win, Johnson tied Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history, and solidified his status as the best fighter currently competing in mixed martial arts. While Johnson’s dominance has been incredibly impressive, it has also created some unique problems for the UFC’s matchmaking team. The flyweight star has bushwhacked his entire division, leaving almost nothing in the way of deserving title challengers in his wake. As such, it’s going to be a real challenge for the UFC to find a deserving opponent for his next fight.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2017

Every day, it seems more and more likely that the once farfetched Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match actually happens. As this fight grows ever more possible, many members of the combat sports community are offering their take on it. The latest to do so is three-time UFC title challenger and current Bellator star Chael Sonnen. Sonnen gave his take on this possible McGregor-Mayweather fight, and what it means for the sport of boxing, in an interview with FightHubTV. His words (via MMAMania.com)

Tom Taylor - March 28, 2017

On June 24th, Bellator MMA will simultaneously make it’s first stop in New York City, and take its second crack at the pay-per-view business. It will do so with a stacked card titled Bellator NYC. This Bellator NYC card will be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between long-time rivals Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva. The co-main event, meanwhile, will be a rescheduled heavyweight bout between MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko and dangerous UFC veteran Matt Mitrione. The other confirmed fights for the main card, finally, are a pair of title fights, as Michael Chandler defends his lightweight title against Brent Primus and Douglas Lima defends the welterweight throne opposite new Bellator signee Lorenz Larkin. On Tuesday afternoon, the fighters mentioned above joined the media in New York City (Silva did so via Skype).

bjpenndotcom - March 28, 2017

Bellator MMA’s Chael Sonnen recently made his promotional debut against Tito Ortiz in The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s retirement fight earlier this year. Unfortunately for Sonnen, who was returning from his lengthy layoff following a suspension, he was submitted in the very first round. During a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Sonnen spoke about the loss, and why he believes that Ortiz is actually a terrible fighter:

bjpenndotcom - March 24, 2017

While conflicting reports have continued to emerge regarding a potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather scrap, one many has reportedly confirmed that a fight is indeed official. Chael Sonnen recently took to social media to announce that a fight between McGregor and Mayweather was indeed “on” leaving fight fans confused and skeptical as to where the info came from. While Bob Arum recently revealed that the UFC is the biggest obstacle in securing a deal for the fight, Sonnen has now revealed his source for the report that McGregor vs. Mayweather is official.

bjpenndotcom - March 22, 2017

MMA legend Wanderlei Silva was set to fight UFC veteran Chael Sonnen nearly three years ago at the TUF Brazil 3 Finale in 2014. Unfortunately, due to a brawl that occurred mid-season, which resulted in Silva injuring his hand, the fight was postponed. Silva then refused to take a random drug test, and was pulled from the fight, leading to a very public dispute with the UFC. Sonnen was then booked to fight Vitor Belfort, who was stepping in for Silva. Sonnen then failed a random out-of-competition drug test, and was pulled from the fight as well. Subsequently, he then announced his retirement from MMA on an episode of UFC Tonight.