Chael Sonnen may get labeled as a brash trash-talker about 99 percent of the time, but he’s also an excellent analyst who has paid respect to a number of his opponents.
When he was matched up with former WEC champion and decorated Marine Brian Stann ahead of their fight at UFC 136, Sonnen didn’t have a bad word to say about him.
The same can be said about his next opponent, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who meets “The American Gangster” at UFC Fight Night 26 on Fox Sports 1 on August 17.
While Sonnen has had beef with more than a few Brazilians over the years, he has nothing but good things to say about Rua. What Sonnen wants to accomplish by facing him is to beat a former UFC champion—something he has yet to do in his MMA career.
“He’s an excellent fighter. He’s won everything there is to win including the UFC,” Sonnen told Bleacher Report recently. “I have beat every champion of every company there’s ever been, every one of them—except the UFC champion. I’ve never beat a UFC champion, this will be a chance to do that.”
He does take a chance during the interview to land a couple of shots at Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who was supposed to face Rua at UFC 161 before dropping out due to injury.
Check out the interview with Sonnen, including his comments on why he switched training camps and how he enjoys working with new head coach Mark Munoz.
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