Chael Sonnen believes “every cornerman just lost their job” following Mike Perry’s win at UFC on ESPN 12

By Adam D Martin - June 28, 2020

MMA legend Chael Sonnen believes that “every cornerman just lost their job” following Mike Perry’s decision win over Mickey Gall at UFC on ESPN 12.

Chael Sonnen

In controversial fashion, Perry decided not to use a traditional corner for his fight, instead just having his girlfriend in his corner in what was a UFC first. Other fighters have had their significant others in the corner before, including fighters like Matt Wiman and Montana De La Rosa, but this was the first instance of a fighter solely having their corner just be their significant other with no coaching staff to speak of.

Despite not having a true corner, Perry was able to put on a great performance as he was able to win a unanimous decision over a tough Gall. It was arguably Perry’s most complete performance in the Octagon to date, and it made some fans and media wonder if fighters actually need three cornermen. According to Perry, without a corner barking instructions at him, he was able to perform better inside the Octagon.

Taking to social media after UFC on ESPN 12, Sonnen posted a video where he talked about how corners will now lose their jobs after seeing what Perry was able to do without having coaches in his corner. Check it out below on Twitter.

EVERY CORNERMAN JUST LOST THEIR JOB…

Obviously Sonnen is being hyperbolic, but he brings up a good point. If Perry proved that he can win a fight in the UFC against a solid opponent in Gall without a traditional corner behind him, then potentially you could see other fighters follow suit. Typically, UFC fighters have multiple people in their corner. But after seeing what Perry did with just one, maybe some fighters would consider that as well.

You do need at least one person in the corner because you need someone to carry in the stool and bring water to the fighter. That’s exactly what Perry’s girlfriend did, although she did not offer any sort of technical advice at all. Of course, Perry didn’t have to pay anything to have a corner. If fighters are looking to cut their costs down, then bringing in fewer cornermen for their fights could help with that. Again, there’s a reason why more than one cornermen are traditionally used, but you have to always be able to consider different options.

Do you agree with Chael Sonnen that cornermen will lose their jobs?