In a recent interview with MMAFighting, Chael Patrick Sonnen spoke about his affiliation with God and also shared his thoughts on being remembered more for his trash-talking exploits than for his feats inside the steel cage. “That would be a comp…
In a recent interview with MMAFighting, Chael Patrick Sonnen spoke about his affiliation with God and also shared his thoughts on being remembered more for his trash-talking exploits than for his feats inside the steel cage.
“That would be a compliment,” Sonnen said, when asked how he would feel being remembered more for his mouth than his in-cage accomplishments. “I wouldn’t feel bad about that. ..You know, these guys want to talk about God. ‘Oh, I want to thank God. I want to thank God.’ Listen, I’m a God-fearing man, go to church every Sunday and have since I was a boy. But if I ever found out that God cared one way or another about a borderline illegal fist-fight on Saturday night, I would be so greatly disappointed that it would make rethink my entire belief system,” Sonnen said.
Rightly or wrongly, Sonnen’s magniloquence has been one of the major factors in his garnering both the public’s and the media’s attention.
His verbal attacks on UFC middleweight titlist Anderson Silva and a host of other Brazilian fighters are legendary. With that said, no one—mixed martial artist or not—is safe from a tongue lashing from the rhetorician that is Chael Sonnen.
Still, for all Uncle Chael’s outrageous and sometimes outlandish vocalizations, most would never have surmised that the man had a spiritual side to him.
Conversely, the ex-realtor is on course for a rematch with Silva and another shot at the 185-pound championship, but first he has to secure victory in his upcoming co-main event bout with the brash British fighter Michael “The Count” Bisping at UFC on Fox 2 Saturday.
UFC on Fox 2 is scheduled for Jan. 28, 2012, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The undisputed UFC 205-pound kingpin that is Jon “Bones” Jones wants Rashad Evans the former division’s champion to defeat Phil Davis when the two go head-to-head in their upcoming clash at UFC on Fox 2.
“I’m picking Rash…
The undisputed UFC 205-pound kingpin that is Jon “Bones” Jones wants Rashad Evans the former division’s champion to defeat Phil Davis when the two go head-to-head in their upcoming clash at UFC on Fox 2.
“He’s the antagonist of my career. There’s no just pumping up pay per views when it comes to me and Rashad. Everything about us disliking each other is true,” the animated 24-year old title-holder continued. “After we fight each other it’ll all be clear and he can go have a seat somewhere.”
Ever since Jones (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) became champ of the 205-pounders following his decimation of Mauricio Rua back at UFC 128 and then made it crystal clear that he’d be willing to fight Evans, a former training partner at Greg Jackson’s gym, a massive rift ensued, resulting in a strained relationship that has bordered on sheer animosity.
Their bête noire for one another as Jones alluded to is enough to sell the potential matchup itself, and if it ever gets underway, the likelihood is that it could be one of the most heralded MMA fights of 2012.
That said, this Saturday, Evans and Davis (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) are slated to throw down in what could turn out to be a title-shot decider for Evans, that’s if he can defeat “Mr. Wonderful.”
However, if “Suga” (16-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC), fails in his bid, then it’s highly likely that the next candidate for the UFC championship belt could be former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson.
Conversely, even if Davis were to throw a spanner in the works by upending Evans on fight night, the most he’d be rewarded with could be one or maybe even two fights before being considered for a tilt at the division’s prestigious crown.
UFC on Fox 2 is scheduled for Jan. 28, 2012, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.
According to Slam Canoe, at a recent media conference call, Rashad Evans, the No. 1 contender to Jon Jones’s 205-pound crown, told Phil Davis in no uncertain terms that he’s going to smash him up when they throwdown in the main event at UFC on Fox 2.W…
According to Slam Canoe, at a recent media conference call, Rashad Evans, the No. 1 contender to Jon Jones’s 205-pound crown, told Phil Davis in no uncertain terms that he’s going to smash him up when they throwdown in the main event at UFC on Fox 2.
Whilst the co-main event between Sonnen and Bisping has been making the rounds, the headline act featuring Evans and Davis has almost disappeared under the radar. Well, not any more.
Apparently the undefeated “Mr. Wonderful” (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) had implied that he could in fact derail Evans’ title prospects.
“Let’s get one thing straight, you aren’t beating me,” interjected Evans, who could be next in line for light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones. “It can’t come fast enough. I’m going to smash you, dude. He isn’t ready and he knows he isn’t ready. When I look into his eyes, he isn’t ready. You’re just a boy.”
“I was kind of thinking you shouldn’t be too concerned about that title shot,” Davis responded. “It’s not going to be for a little while. You’ve got a little while before you can worry about a title shot. It’s not going to happen this time around.”
“We’re going to see what happens when those lights hit you,” Evans countered. “When you walk out and that crowd is roaring. We’re going to see what kind of man you are. We’re going to see what kind of fighter you are, because I know you aren’t a fighter.
“When you get hit in the mouth, things change. When you got hit by Li’l Nog (Antonio Rogério Nogueira), you didn’t know what to do. When I hit you in the mouth, you’re going to feel it.”
“Oh, that’s scary,” Davis sarcastically replied.
Evans (16-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC), the former light heavyweight champion, lost the title to Lyoto Machida in his first defense back at UFC 98. Since then, he’s been on the road to redemption—he defeated both Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson in his quest to vie for the belt once again.
Following his unanimous-decision win against Jackson, he was all but set to lock horns with then-champion Mauricio Rua; however, a knee injury put an end to that, and Jones, his training partner at the time, was instead given the title shot after upending Ryan Bader at UFC 126.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Evans was then scheduled to fight for the title at UFC 133, however, Jones pulled out after sustaining a hand injury.
He was next slated to face Davis at the aforementioned event, but that never came to fruition as the latter incurred a knee injury.
Instead, Evans took on and defeated the legendary Tito Ortiz at the same event to book a championship bout with Jones at UFC 140, but as fate would have it, a recurring thumb injury thwarted his hopes once again.
Evans now finds himself one fight away from a shot at recapturing the Holy Grail (which UFC president Dana White confirmed if he comes out victorious on fight night) that has eluded him not once but twice—all that is left, is to take care of business at the end of this month.
With that said, Davis, a former Penn State NCAA Division l All-American, seemed nonchalant with the idea of Evans contesting for the belt, but is also adamant, that will not be the case in a week’s time.
“That actually works perfectly into my plans; I take a little rest and he’ll fight for the title,” Davis said. “Whatever happens with that—cool. I’m up next.
“After I beat Rashad on the 28th, they won’t have anything to do with me other than fight (for the belt). Rashad is the true No. 1 contender, and after he loses, who is next (for me)? The champion.”
Both combatants were giving the impression of unwavering confidence going into their matchup and thus continued their back-and-forth slanging match.
“Come one, come all—it doesn’t matter who they put against me,” Evans said. “I’ve got to beat them all the same, no matter what, no matter how they stack them up. If Phil is next in line, Phil is next in line. But the fact that this kid actually thinks he can beat me kind of bothers me now.
“Look, there are some people that will fight if they weren’t getting paid to fight, and I’m one of those people. Phil is not one of those people.”
“You’re absolutely right; I’d be pushing a pen,” Davis responded. “But since I get paid to fight, it looks like you’re next.”
“There’s a difference with the mindset,” Evans countered. “You’re going to find out what that difference in mindset is…You can say what you want to over the phone, but once we get in that cage and you can’t get out, we’re going to see how you feel then.”
“When I’m on top of you, I’m going to remind you with every shot what you said,” Davis replied. “Remind you with every shot.”
For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.
CM Punk’s walk out with Chael Sonnen for the co-main event at UFC on Fox 2 was not confirmed by either sportsman—it was never official. Speaking to MMAWeekly.com the former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division-l standout…
CM Punk’s walk out with Chael Sonnen for the co-main event at UFC on Fox 2 was not confirmed by either sportsman—it was never official.
Speaking to MMAWeekly.com the former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division-l standout categorically refuted the claims.
“I gotta tell you, I read those headlines,” said Sonnen. “I never confirmed them. CM Punk never confirmed them. I’ll speak for myself… I’m not in the business of stopping a headline, but I never confirmed that anybody would be joining me. I know he didn’t confirm it.”
The initial reaction once the word got out that WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar Punk would be escorting Sonnen to the Octagon was one of excitement and anticipation—the news went viral—creating a buzz which was felt in both realms of MMA and wrestling.
The early furor surrounding the impending collaboration regarding two of the sport’s most polarizing figures was, however, short lived.
Less than a fortnight following the news, reports surfaced that WWE President Vince McMahon had in essence thrown a spanner in the works, thus preventing Punk from accompanying Sonnen to the cage in his Jan. 28, matchup with Mark Munoz (who has since been supplanted by Michael Bisping following an injury).
UFC president Dana White has guaranteed that Anderson Silva will lock horns with Chael Sonnen in the summer, providing the latter wins his match with British fighter Michael “The Count” Bisping. “I 100 percent guarantee you, if Chael …
UFC president Dana White has guaranteed that Anderson Silva will lock horns with Chael Sonnen in the summer, providing the latter wins his match with British fighter Michael “The Count” Bisping.
“I 100 percent guarantee you, if Chael Sonnen wins this fight, Anderson Silva will fight Sonnen this summer,” White told ESPN.
That match is scheduled to take place at UFC on Fox 2 later this month, with the winner assured first refusal at the middleweight title and “The Spider.”
Sonnen’s original opponent for that co-main event, Mark Munoz, was pulled from the bout due to an injury suffered whilst training.
With that said, the ex-realtor has all but given up hope of a projected rematch with the 185-pound kingpin and told MMA Junkie in as many words.
“I can guarantee you – Anderson Silva and I will never cross paths again,” Sonnen said.
“I know Anderson’s not going to fight. The folks at the UFC know he’s not going to fight. I’m all for promoting and marketing and all that good stuff. I don’t want to throw water on a perfectly hot flame, but Anderson Silva’s not going to fight anybody.”
“I can tell you that behind the scenes, they tried to put me and Anderson together four times, and four times he said no,” he said.
[…] “Anderson Silva is not going to fight me. I don’t believe he’s going to fight Bisping. I don’t believe he’s going to fight again. That’s my personal opinion.”
“He even said no to (UFC executive) Lorenzo Fertitta’s face. Face-to-face, not over the phone – Lorenzo brought him out, sat him down, and said, ‘This is the fight we want.’ And Anderson said no.”
Silva (31-4 MMA, 14-0 UFC), who has successfully defended his middleweight title a record nine times, has been out of action for more than five months following a shoulder injury sustained prior to his winning bout against Yushin Okami at UFC 134.
So if Uncle Chael can thwart Bisping’s own ambitions of vying for the title and as long as Silva is fully recuperated, the fight as White intimated, is a dead cert, with the destination being Brazil.
Conversely, it’s not a surefire bet that Sonnen (26-11-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) will win and if that transpires the possibility of the title bout taking place in front of Bisping’s countrymen could be an option for the Zuffa-based hierarchy—from a financial perspective that is.
Even though Bisping (22-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is the most famous and lucrative mixed martial artist to have emerged from the shores of Britain and to boot with a large fan base, White was adamant that the fight will happen in Brazil.
“The answer, hands down, is Brazil,” White said on UFC on Fuel when asked if the UK or Brazil would be the ideal destination. “You could do an 80,000-seater soccer stadium down there.
“50 million people will watch live on television… remember all the stuff I used to say about Canada? Brazil wins. Brazil is the new Mecca of martial arts,” White said.
UFC on Fox 2 is set for Jan. 28, 2012, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.
With the action flick Haywire hitting the silver screens, Gina “Conviction” Carano could soon be the biggest MMA star to venture into thespianism. Carano, who hasn’t fought since losing in a title bout to former Strikeforce featherwei…
With the action flick Haywire hitting the silver screens, Gina “Conviction” Carano could soon be the biggest MMA star to venture into thespianism.
Carano, who hasn’t fought since losing in a title bout to former Strikeforce featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in 2009, has for the best part been trying her hand at acting.
She won’t be the first mixed martial artist to make that trip from the fighting arena to celluloid and she most definitely will not be the last.
In a recent interview with MMAFighting, Chael Patrick Sonnen spoke about his affiliation with God and also shared his thoughts on being remembered more for his trash-talking exploits than for his feats inside the steel cage.