“Look into my eyes, Keith Kizer…look deep into my eyes. You are getting very sleepy…you hate drug tests...” (Photo: ESPN)
Chael Sonnen has clearly distanced himself from his peers in the art of the interview. His sound bites, validity aside, are second to none. Perhaps gearing up for his hosting duties at next month’s ‘Fighters Only World MMA Awards”, Sonnen joined Jon Anik and Kenny Florian on last night’s episode of “MMA Live”. As expected, Chael did not disappoint, and we’ve got the highlights…
Host Jon Anik asks if Carlos Condit, having taken the title fight on short notice, has actually caught a break with GSP’s injury in that he’ll now have more time to prepare for his opponent and a five round affair (video) :
“I don’t think so, and I don’t think this fight’s going to come back for quite some time. Listen, if you’re the champion, you remain champion until you lose the title. If you’re the number one contender, you absolutely are not ingrained in any type of stone. As a matter of fact, not only do I believe he has lost this opportunity, I believe the winner of Diaz-BJ Penn will get the next opportunity against GSP.”
Chael brings up an interesting point. Dana has already stated that Diaz is on deck if he gets past Penn, and he was obviously the first choice to begin with. Is there any chance that Condit gets Rashad’d if the pride of Stockton puts on an impressive performance next week?
Chael’s thoughts on the gamesmanship of the Diaz camp lobbying to extend his bout with Penn to a five-round tilt. (video) :
“Let’s not miss what’s really happening here. If you’re a Diaz fan, you got to swallow real hard when he tries to change the parameters that have already been agreed to. What he really just did was he came out and said, ‘Look, I can’t get the job done in fifteen minutes. Let’s change the agreement’. BJ comes back and simply says, ‘Hey, I got no problem with it. I can put you away in fifteen minutes.’ The third side of this is as a fan. Listen, guys, I want to see you compete but you’re getting fifteen minutes of my life and that’s it. After three rounds, fade to black, roll the credits, I got other things to do…You don’t change a deal once a deal’s in place.”
Sage words from the “American Gangster”. When a man challenges someone and lays out the stakes, he lives or dies by his words.
Never one to hide his feelings, Chael shares his thoughts on the newest addition to the UFC’s heavyweight division (video) :
“I’m on the other side of the fence with Overeem. Look, the guy’s built for show, not for go, ok? He’s made for a poster. He looks like he’s made out of clay, I understand all of that stuff. He’s not a very good fighter. And as far as the K-1 being this great striking event, the K-1 is a striking only event. If you’re in the K-1 you’re allowed only to strike, but I’ve never seen a great striker there. I can discredit the K-1 with two syllables: Bob Sapp.”
“Built for show”? If there’s one person I’d expect to appreciate the fine art of body building it would be the owner of the “largest arm in West Linn, Oregon”.
Sonnen’s thoughts about Ed Soares’ recent statements that, although Chael doesn’t deserve a rematch, a bout with Michael Bisping “could be a good opportunity” for Silva. (video)
“Apparently the ‘Ed Soares Excuse Factory’ is open for business. There’s a couple of things going on here. First off, a champion doesn’t call somebody out. If you’re the champion you get called out. So I think it’s a little odd and unprecedented that Anderson is now trying to pick a fight. Secondly, he’s doing the same thing I am. He’s calling Bisping out because he’s an easy fight. Well, I want an easy fight too and that’s why I’m calling him out. So I get it.”
If Chael wants a rematch so badly, he’s going to have to drop the subtlety and just flat out ask for it.
To close the show, Chael gets in the Halloween spirit and takes one last shot at his nemesis. (video) :
“Let me ask a question, instead of fact or fiction, let me make it A or B. A) Will Anderson Silva go as a duck for Halloween this year or B) will he dress as a chicken? I’m going to go B. I think he goes as chicken because he already has the costume.”
“The People’s Champion” has given us a lot to chew on. What are the most credible, and least credible, of his assertions?