Chael Sonnen reacts after Amanda Nunes splits with ATT: “This is a peculiar situation which leads me to believe that this is personal”

Like many of us, Chael Sonnen was surprised to learn that Amanda Nunes made the decision to cut ties with her longtime gym, ATT.

On Monday it was announced that Nunes was leaving her longtime home of American Top Team in order to create and establish her own gym endeavor.

According to the report from Raphael Marinho, ‘The Lioness’ along with her partner, Nina Nunes, are both parting ways with the American Top Team facility with the intent of forming their own gym in Florida.

For former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, the “peculiar” decision of Nunes to leave ATT leads him to believe there is more to the story.

“Do we need to make anything of this? I don’t know. That’s how I have to word this to you guys. I am speaking way out of school and I have no more information. What I just quoted for you was the headline at BJPENN.com: ‘Amanda Nunes leaves longtime gym of ATT’, which stands for American Top Team, ‘to pursue her own gym endeavor.'” Sonnen said. “End quote. I have no other info. So I don’t want to influence you guys because my comments are based on the headline of an article that I haven’t even read yet. But, when an athlete gets beat, we see this all the time where they throw the baby out with bath water. It wasn’t their fault it was someone else’s.”

Image Credit: @UFC/Instagram

Amanda Nunes (21-5 MMA) of course suffered a shocking submission loss to Julianna Pena (11-4 MMA) at last month’s UFC 269 event at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, surrendering her bantamweight world title in the process.

Chael Sonnen continued to discuss Nunes’ departure from ATT:

“It wasn’t my fault, I need a new start. Now is any of this going on here? No, not that I have evidence of. But it does make me beg one question and I only have one. Had she won the fight (with Pena) was she going to leave American Top Team anyway? If I had the answer to that, then everything that I surmise is now true. But I don’t have the answer tot that. We have to look into it a little bit. It is very peculiar though. When you go to open your own gym, you’re looking to expand your business and build your empire. So you have something to retire on. But if you’re Amanda Nunes and your pockets are lined. She’s still the champion of the world. She’s just got one belt instead of two. Her next fight is still going to be a world championship fight. She’s just going to be the contender instead of the defender.”

Chael Sonnen concluded:

“Amanda Nunes does not need your $100 per month sign up fee. So what is she doing? I don’t know. But is she leaving that gym because she feels as though her preparation for the last fight (with Pena) was not her fault and somebody else’s? I don’t like it when somebody leaves the gym. I don’t. So business-wise, this is a peculiar situation, which leads me to believe that this is personal. That she feels something happened or she was neglected.”

Do you agree with Chael Sonnen that their is likely more to the story regarding Amanda Nunes’ departure from ATT?