Chael Sonnen and Ronda Rousey are two mixed martial artists that had successful amateur sports backgrounds. While Sonnen was never able to achieve his Olympic dreams, Rousey became the first American female to medal in Judo since the sport was added in 1992 when she captured the bronze in Beijing.
Many know Sonnen for his “Chael P.” persona. However, those who are close to him know that he’s extremely passionate about freestyle and greco wrestling. At UFC 148, I had the opportunity to speak with him about the upcoming summer games in London, England.
“The team is really strong and the process was really hard. They’re down to only seven weight classes. Some sports get to take the top three people,” said Sonnen to Bleacher Report. “We’ll go over there and in some sports the US will win the gold and the silver.”
“In wrestling they take one,” he said.
“So every four years, seven guys get an opportunity. I tremendously respect all of those guys that are chasing that and after that one moment of gratification. I love it. I’m going to London to cheer them on.”
Chael would also address if he would rather be known as “Olympic Medalist Chael Sonnen” or “UFC middleweight champion Chael Sonnen”. His answer was indirect, yet still surprising. Especially on the eve of the biggest fight of his career.
“There’s very few things, if any, that trump the Olympic games. The Olympics is the pinnacle of athletics.”
As stated above, Rousey is the first American female to win a medal in Judo at the Olympics. She has quite the lineage as her mother was also a standout judoka who was the first and only American to win at the World Judo Championships.
Rousey is currently preparing for her first bantamweight title defense, in which she’ll face number one contender Sarah Kaufman next month in San Diego.
During UFC 148 weekend, I had the pleasure of speaking with her about the games and if there is any regret that she was not there supporting her colleagues and friends as they compete for a medal.
“That part of my life is over and I’m very, very happy for my teammates that are going to be going to London,” Rousey told Bleacher Report. “I have the utmost confidence in them but if my teammate Kayla goes and wins the Olympic medal as the first American to even win a gold medal in Judo, I will be nothing but happy for her.”
“Because the success really is the journey and not the destination. I had that problem with judo towards the end where I was so focused on the destination that I didn’t care if I was miserable every day,” she explained. “I’m not willing to be miserable for four years so I can possibly be happy for one day.”
“And what I learned when I won the Olympic medal is that it’s not some fairy tale ending where you get your medal and you go home and it’s just sunshine and lollipops forever.” Rousey would go on to say, “you have real life, and I looked at my past experience—and what I knew would be required of me to be the best in the world in judo—and I know that it’s not for me anymore.”
“There’s no regrets there at all.”
Rousey became the Strikeforce bantamweight champion earlier this year when she defeated Miesha Tate with an armbar. That win cemented her as one of the hottest stars in MMA and the newest face of Women’s MMA.
She began to address which victory meant more to her before getting sidetracked and giving me a deeper look at her love of Judo and her life before MMA.
“They’re both equal but different. The Olympic medal—I feel like I was coming to peace with myself and a lot of torment that was in myself,” said Rousey. “Getting some closure on my judo career and everything that had happened. I had a very unconventional upbringing and a lot of it had to do with judo.”
“At the end of the fight I leaned down and kissed the mat and left. Everyone was thinking ‘that’s so weird, why would she do that? That’s a Middle Eastern thing.’ I just knew that would be the last time I would be there. I really was kissing it goodbye.”
The Summer Olympic Games begin on July 27 and will be airing on the NBC suite of channels. Judo starts on July 28, while wrestling begins August 5.
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