People either love or hate Chael Sonnen. For a long while I was in the latter group. However, one day it dawned on me that my problem wasn’t so much with Sonnen as it was with me taking his words far too seriously.
I should have known better. I should have looked at Sonnen and recalled the days of my youth when wrestlers such as Superstar Billy Graham, Larry Zybsco or Ric Flair used over-the-top theatrics to incite the crowd and sell a fight.
Instead, I took Sonnen seriously, thinking that his theatrical exuberance sullied the sport of MMA. I thought that MMA fighters should be above engaging in that type of bombastic trash talk.
I saw Sonnen’s words as mere shtick. He came across as pre-packaged. His comments felt like they had been written in advance, and that he was just looking for the right question to be lobbed his way so he could knock it out of the park with a witty one-liner. His words made for great soundbites and had fans talking about him for days, but I still felt that they were better suited for the WWE than for the UFC.
At some point, I realized Sonnen was doing nothing more than getting his name out to every fight fan in the most expedient way possible. He took the bait that interviewers put in front of him with all the subtlety of a hungry Great White Shark.
The interviews were a win-win, with the interviewer receiving a goldmine of quotes and Sonnen working his way even further into the minds of the fans, as well as the UFC matchmakers.
Once I understood his intentions, I came to appreciate Sonnen. I eagerly await his next interview. Sometimes he surprises you by being complimentary to his opponent. On other occasions he shocks you with the vindictiveness of his comments. However, underneath it all, his interviews are a means to landing the biggest fights possible and gaining the interest of as many MMA fans as possible.
Is Sonnen a shameless self promoter? Sure he is, but in a sport’s world full of athletes always saying the right thing at the right time, we need people like Sonnen to remind us not to take things so seriously.
In the end, it’s all entertainment.
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