Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) three-time title contender Chael Sonnen, who migrated to Bellator MMA in the second half of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, announced his retirement at the conclusion of Bellator 222 last weekend in New York.
Good riddance, according to longtime rival, Tito Ortiz.
It seems “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” is still miffed about his 2017 feud with “The American Gangster,” one that was expected to mature with Ortiz’s submission win at Bellator 170. But like the proverbial cup, Sonnen’s mouth runneth over.
Which may explain why Ortiz is celebrating on Instagram.
“Thank you Lyoto Machida!!!!! The only reason I posted this!!! Just so you people know that Chael said some things about my family pre fight,” Ortiz wrote after posting highlights of Lyoto Machida’s technical knockout win over Sonnen. “I beat him and he came to my dressing room after the fight and said if we are cool? I told him to apologize at the press conference and we would be good. He didn’t. A month after the fight he started talk shit about my kids. Sorry people I don’t know how you were raised but another person should not talk about a man’s family. Period.”
The Machida fight almost went to Ortiz, according to these comments.
Ortiz may or may not be retired in the wake of his knockout win over Chuck Liddell back in November. The part-time movie star has teased a return to the cage in 2019, but a promotion and possible opponent have yet to be revealed.
For what it’s worth, I hear this guy is back in the fight game.