After spending the majority of his career training near his West Linn, Ore., home, former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen revealed he has moved to Reign Training Center in Orange County.
Sonnen made the announcement on Tuesday’s edition of UFC Tonight.
He also revealed he’d recently finalized a new five-fight contract with the UFC and that he would be returning to the middleweight division after he faces Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Sonnen and Shogun will headline the UFC’s first-ever card on new cable network Fox Sports 1. The event takes place on August 17—the same day Fox launches the new all-sports channel—from the TD Garden in Boston. It also marks the first time the UFC has returned to Boston since UFC 118 on August 28, 2010.
Sonnen is an ultra-popular figure with Fox executives. After initially making a good impression as a special guest on UFC Tonight, Sonnen was eventually moved into the role of host alongside former lightweight and featherweight contender Kenny Florian. Sonnen and Florian tape new episodes of UFC Tonight each Tuesday in a Fox Sports studio in Los Angeles.
In addition to his UFC Tonight duties, Sonnen is also a prominent member of the UFC’s pre- and post-fight broadcast team for pay-per-view cards, which requires him to spend even more time in Los Angeles. Rather than fly from Oregon two or three times a week in the middle of an important training camp, Sonnen has apparently elected to conduct the majority of his training in Los Angeles.
Reign Training Center is owned by UFC middleweight Mark Munoz; Munoz also serves as one of the main coaches and motivators for the many professional and amateur fighters who flock to the gym.
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