The American Prankster?
Chael Sonnen is in “The Sunshine State” for the UFC 299 pay-per-view (PPV) event.
The former UFC middleweight title challenger will serve as desk analyst alongside current light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith as part of the “O’Malley vs. Vera” broadcast on Sat. night (March 9, 2024) at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., streaming live on ESPN+.
And it looks like Sonnen picked up a pair of unexpected traveling companions.
That’s because Jorge Masvidal lives in Miami and recently threatened to assault “The American Gangster.” Considering “Gamebred” has a well-documented history of sucker punches and street attacks, the Sonnen security team wasn’t taking any chances.
Especially considering Masvidal likes to point guns at innocent bystanders.
“I’m in Miami, I’m at an undisclosed location and I can’t have anything on the wall, because nobody’s allowed to know where I am,” Sonnen said. “Who made those rules? Those two [security guards] who will be standing at my door all night. Why Chael, are you telling us that you have a blank wall behind you with two security guards who will be staying all night when you are about to go to sleep because you are in Miami? Well, I’ve been threatened by Jorge Masvidal. I am at a separate location than everybody else with two security guards because I’ve been threatened by Jorge Masvidal.”
There’s also the chance that Sonnen made the whole thing up for YouTube views.
Sonnen, 46, parted ways with UFC more than a decade ago in the wake of a highly-publicized drug scandal that also pinched Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, among others. “The American Gangster” would later resurface in Bellator, finishing up his MMA career with a loss to fellow UFC export Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 in June 2019.
For much more on this weekend’s UFC 299 PPV event click here.