Chael Sonnen took the time to speak on his own antics and UFC persona following his victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC Fight Night 26 on August 17 in Boston at the TD Garden Arena.
Sonnen fielded questions from Sherdog Radio Network’s “Rewind” host Jack Encarnacao regarding his perceived bad boy persona and where his inspiration for trash talk comes from. The story’s main talking points were then transcribed into a Sherdog article.
When asked about his inspiration, Sonnen noted two pro-wrestling greats from years past. “You’ve got to understand everybody comes from Billy Graham,” Sonnen said. “So I think my answer was going to be Len Denton, but I’m sure if Len told the truth, he got inspired by Billy too.”
The UFC veteran also noted that his post-fight interview rants are less planned than many likely assume. “Joe Rogan usually talks to me…I don’t know that I’ve planned it out before,” said Sonnen. “I don’t know if that’s an entirely sincere comment, but I can’t remember planning one out.”
When asked if his calling out of Anderson Silva, following Sonnen‘s beating of Brian Stann, was the Oregonian’s best post-fight interview, he replied:
Absolutely. That’s got to be the one. … Charles Barkley came up to me afterwards and he liked that one. Anderson was there, so I got a reaction. That’s really what you’re after. You want to evoke some type of emotion, especially if you’re calling a guy out. That’s the whole point. You want him to respond. That’s how you get a fight going. It’s no different than when you’re kids in school. If one guy says something to another guy and the other guy just sits there, then well, you kind of feel bad for the guy.
When Sonnen was asked whether fighters ought find promotional or media coaches to help better prepare for interviews, he rejected the notion. The veteran stated the reason was because fighters ought to be authentic in their comments.
No, definitely not. It’s got to be from the heart and it’s got to be real. I would never manufacture conflict. That’s a very important statement. When I talk about big brothering guys, that’s probably lesson number one: Do not hype a fight. If you have an issue, if you have a reason and it’s sincere, feel free to speak about it. Do not make it up and don’t just cut something for entertainment. Post-fight’s a little bit different because then you’re not selling anything. If you’re just talking to a crowd, and tickets and pay-per-views aren’t on the line, that’s totally different. … I don’t like anything that’s manufactured. If it’s not real, I’m not buying it.
Sonnen‘s comments are likely to ring untrue for some MMA fans regarding his planning of post-fight comments and sincerity. Many have assumed the “Gangster from West Linn” is more of a pro-wrestling troll than actual instigator. However, as long as Sonnen keeps prompting viewers to tune in, it is likely the UFC brass could not care less how Chael really feels.
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