As expected, Chael Sonnen hasn’t kept his mouth shut since his first-round TKO loss to MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of October 13’s Bellator 208 from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
The former UFC title contender has been respectful of Fedor in the time since. Sonnen admitted he’s never been ground and pounded like he was last week. The win shot “The Last Emperor” into the finals of the ongoing Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. There, he will fight Ryan Bader for the vacant title next January. Sonnen had his moments, but ultimately the Russian great’s power was too much.
‘The American Gangster’ has fought most of his career at middleweight and light heavyweight. He took a big risk moving up to face much larger fighters in the Grand Prix. While he paid for it to some degree, Sonnen also came away with a renewed perspective on the heavyweight G.O.A.T. conversation as a result. Sonnen recently told Luke Thomas on The MMA Hour that he’s narrowed the conversation down to three:
“I have it down to three. My three might surprise you and I actually enjoy this topic. I have Fedor in the conversation, I have Werdum in the conversation but I‘m always surprised people don’t say [former UFC champion] Josh Barnett in that conversation. I feel like they weren’t watching back in 1999 and 2002 and 2003.”
Chael’s Top Choice
Sonnen went on to state his top fighter in the debate. Based on his last loss, it’s not much of a surprise who it is:
“So I have those three guys. What order do you want to do it? I would probably put Fedor at number one. I love the debate, but for me it’s down to those three.”
Many would include two-time former UFC champion Cain Velasquez in that conversation. But Sonnen said that while there was a time Velasquez was unstoppable, he ultimately failed to show his top-class skills enough to secure a spot in the top three:
“I think Cain took himself out. How disrespectful, but Cain sits in the locker room to much to put him on that list. He had some fantastic moments and I’m not sure there was anybody alive that could beat him. But all we can do is discuss that because just didn’t walk out there and show it enough.”
He noted that these were purely hypothetical conversations, however.
It would come down to an argument with no real way to settle the debate. Discussing Velasquez, Sonnen paid him his respect with a comparison to an all-time great boxing heavyweight:
“But these are just conversations anyway. It comes to down to popular opinion. You’ve got to be able to out-argue the guy across from you. That’s how these pound-for-pound greats last.
“But I do think Cain shortened himself. He was the most intimidating heavyweight when he was in there. I’d put him right up there with George Foreman as far as the scariest guys to get into the ring with. But I kind of have him as a fourth or a fifth and out of the conversation.”
Sonnen will look to continue his Bellator career at light heavyweight. He’s had a taste of fight-ending power from his pick for the heavyweight G.O.A.T., and he acknowledged it was one of his worst nights.
As he always does, “The American Gangster” will bounce back. Do you agree with his assessment of heavyweight’s all-time hierarchy?
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