Tag: Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen Highlights UFC 309 Prelim Fighter: ‘A Bit Of A Triple Threat’

At UFC 309 on November 16, one fighter will make a childhood dream come true when he makes the walk at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. 2024 has been a year of bucket list moments for Oban Elliott who has earned back-to-back wins inside the Octagon. The Welsh fighter secured his UFC […]

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At UFC 309 on November 16, one fighter will make a childhood dream come true when he makes the walk at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. 2024 has been a year of bucket list moments for Oban Elliott who has earned back-to-back wins inside the Octagon.

The Welsh fighter secured his UFC contract on the Contender Series and will now look to make it three wins in a row at welterweight when he faces off with Bassil Hafez on the prelims. Elliott is a big pro wrestling fans and therefore, it’s no surprise that his MMA idol growing up was none other than “The Bad Guy”, Chael Sonnen.

They’ve been in communication for many years but at Elliott’s debut at UFC 298 in February, they finally got to meet in person. Though this was clearly a full-circle moment for “The Welsh Gangster”, it was also a great interaction for Sonnen, as he spoke about in a recent video on his YouTube channel.

Sonnen gave some insight into Elliott’s life and career so far and how he feels privileged that the rising talent would take him along for each step of the journey.

“It’s a bit of a triple threat from Oban. He’s got the skills, came with the DNA and the grit. Little boy that had a dream and never lost sight of it, right. All discipline is is remembering what your goal is. That’s all it is but it’s a very hard thing to do and he embraced social media, he was a smart guy… when he did the whole thing, he stayed nice. He’s a real triple threat.”

Elliott’s personality and mentality is what Sonnen wanted to draw the most attention to. He went on to compare him to Anthony Smith who Sonnen believes is another fighter that doesn’t just know how to fight and play the game, he’s a strong individual outside the cage too.

“He never got somewhere and forgot how he got there and that’s a special kind of person. The fighter, yeah man, this guy can squabble. He’s about to fight at Madison Square Garden. He went from a railroad with a guy with a dream thanking Lord in heaven above that he got airtime on Ariel Helwani’s show, he’s going to be fighting at Madison Square Garden so it’s quite a story and there’s a lot more to it. I’m just getting started but moving forward, learn the name.”

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Highlights UFC 309 Prelim Fighter: ‘A Bit Of A Triple Threat’ at MMA News.

UFC 309 Analysis: Chael Sonnen Outlines Stipe Miocic’s Edge Over Jon Jones in Heavyweight Showdown

UFC 309 Analysis: Chael Sonnen Outlines Stipe Miocic’s Edge Over Jon Jones in Heavyweight ShowdownChael Sonnen believes there’s a chance that Stipe Miocic could shock fight fans and sportsbooks simultaneously in his long-awaited…

UFC 309 Analysis: Chael Sonnen Outlines Stipe Miocic’s Edge Over Jon Jones in Heavyweight Showdown

Chael Sonnen believes there’s a chance that Stipe Miocic could shock fight fans and sportsbooks simultaneously in his long-awaited return to the Octagon.

Nearly four years removed from his second-round knockout loss against Francis Ngannou, the former two-time titleholder will step back into the main event spotlight for a showdown with reigning and defending undisputed heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

The two combat sports icons will headline UFC 309 on Saturday, November 16 when the promotion makes its annual pit stop at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Stipe Miocic

Chael Sonnen Thinks Stipe Miocic can stop ‘Bones’ from taking him down

As it stands, ‘Bones’ is a massive 6-to-1 favorite to come out on top in his first defense of the heavyweight crown. However, not everyone thinks it’ll be a walk in the park for Jones.

That includes ‘The American Gangster‘ who offered his unique take on this month’s most anticipated title fight.

Stipe Miocic

“Well, Stipe’s old, but not much older than Jon,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I won’t argue with you if you tell me that Stipe is old by fighter standards, but I would argue if you told me Jon was young.

“Do you believe that Jon can just take Stipe down whenever he wants? If you do believe that, remember, that’s something Daniel Cormier couldn’t do. In one of their fights, there were two takedowns, and Stipe got them both. I’m just reminding you: Do you believe that Jon can just take Stipe down?”

Miocic is 14-4 inside the Octagon with nine of those victories coming by KO. Miocic won two out of three in his critically acclaimed trilogy with Daniel Cormier and went 1-1 against Ngannou before walking away from the sport in 2021 to resume life as a firefighter in Cleveland, Ohio.

Stipe Miocic

Chael Sonnen Makes The Case For Why A Third Fight Between Max Holloway & Dustin Poirier Might Be Different   

Following his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, Max Holloway made an announcement about his career going forwards. The former featherweight champion has spent most of his time in the UFC competing at 145-pounds but no more. Before returning to the weight class to challenge Topuria for the title, “Blessed” defeated Justin Gaethje for […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Makes The Case For Why A Third Fight Between Max Holloway & Dustin Poirier Might Be Different    at MMA News.

Following his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, Max Holloway made an announcement about his career going forwards. The former featherweight champion has spent most of his time in the UFC competing at 145-pounds but no more.

Before returning to the weight class to challenge Topuria for the title, “Blessed” defeated Justin Gaethje for the BMF title at lightweight and put in one of his best performances to date in the process. With Holloway announcing that lightweight is now his permanent home, this opens up some very exciting options for him.

One fight that he already mentioned is a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier which could serve as one of the final fights in the great career of “The Diamond”. Poirier already holds two wins over Holloway but that doesn’t stop Chael Sonnen from wanting to see them run it back one more time before Poirier retires.

In a recent YouTube video, he made it clear that he wouldn’t usually be campaigning to see a third fight between two opponents where one of them is already two up in the series. However, Sonnen also made the case for why the third fight could be different than the previous two.

Holloway’s first encounter with Poirier came in his UFC debut where he had just four pro fights under his belt at the time. The second time around at UFC 236, Poirier was able to break the Hawaiian’s incredible winning streak but this was Holloway’s first time moving up to 155-pounds and he didn’t look the same as he did at featherweight.

With him now committing to lightweight, Sonnen thinks this makes the trilogy more interesting than before.

“So let’s make a case for Max. Is Max better now than he was then? No. But, is Max different? Yeah, he definitely could be. Yeah, you bet your a** he could be different because one thing that is different is Max is not playing at 55 before he goes back to 45. He is done at 45, he has made that commitment, he has absolutely closed that book. That’s a big deal and you’ll never hear me act like 10 pounds is a lot but from 45 to 55, it is.”

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Makes The Case For Why A Third Fight Between Max Holloway & Dustin Poirier Might Be Different    at MMA News.

Chael Sonnen Makes The Case For Why A Third Fight Between Max Holloway & Dustin Poirier Might Be Different   

Following his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, Max Holloway made an announcement about his career going forwards. The former featherweight champion has spent most of his time in the UFC competing at 145-pounds but no more. Before returning to the weight class to challenge Topuria for the title, “Blessed” defeated Justin Gaethje for […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Makes The Case For Why A Third Fight Between Max Holloway & Dustin Poirier Might Be Different    at MMA News.

Following his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, Max Holloway made an announcement about his career going forwards. The former featherweight champion has spent most of his time in the UFC competing at 145-pounds but no more.

Before returning to the weight class to challenge Topuria for the title, “Blessed” defeated Justin Gaethje for the BMF title at lightweight and put in one of his best performances to date in the process. With Holloway announcing that lightweight is now his permanent home, this opens up some very exciting options for him.

One fight that he already mentioned is a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier which could serve as one of the final fights in the great career of “The Diamond”. Poirier already holds two wins over Holloway but that doesn’t stop Chael Sonnen from wanting to see them run it back one more time before Poirier retires.

In a recent YouTube video, he made it clear that he wouldn’t usually be campaigning to see a third fight between two opponents where one of them is already two up in the series. However, Sonnen also made the case for why the third fight could be different than the previous two.

Holloway’s first encounter with Poirier came in his UFC debut where he had just four pro fights under his belt at the time. The second time around at UFC 236, Poirier was able to break the Hawaiian’s incredible winning streak but this was Holloway’s first time moving up to 155-pounds and he didn’t look the same as he did at featherweight.

With him now committing to lightweight, Sonnen thinks this makes the trilogy more interesting than before.

“So let’s make a case for Max. Is Max better now than he was then? No. But, is Max different? Yeah, he definitely could be. Yeah, you bet your a** he could be different because one thing that is different is Max is not playing at 55 before he goes back to 45. He is done at 45, he has made that commitment, he has absolutely closed that book. That’s a big deal and you’ll never hear me act like 10 pounds is a lot but from 45 to 55, it is.”

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Makes The Case For Why A Third Fight Between Max Holloway & Dustin Poirier Might Be Different    at MMA News.

Chael Sonnen Reveals UFC Rule He Would Change As U.S. President: ‘Mayweather Never Did That…’

Chael Sonnen has a hot take on the UFC rule he would change as the President of the United States.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Reveals UFC Rule He Would Change As U.S. President: ‘Mayweather Never Did That…’ at MMA News.

The U.S. Presidential elections are underway, giving UFC legend Chael Sonnen a chance to discuss fighters who could make good presidential candidates. From Khabib Nurmagomedov to Daniel Cormier, he had several names in mind but ultimately chose Brian Stan.

Sonnen also talked about what he would change in the UFC if he were the President of the United States. The former UFC title challenger demanded stringent laws around fighters missing weight, though he clarified that his wish is unlikely to be fulfilled in the real world.

“The American Gangster” admitted that MMA is risky, and fighters are prone to injuries and other complications while training. When a UFC fighter misses weight, they are required to forfeit 20-30% of their purse to their opponent and are eligible for any bonuses, or the fight is canceled.

Sonnen wants to amend the current system to penalize fighters for pulling out of fights and suggests rankings should be affected by such developments. He remembered watching wrestlers get their hands raised in the absence of an opponent and expects the UFC to recognize a forfeit similarly.

The retired MMA fighter also drew parallels to other sports such as basketball, boxing, tennis, golf, and football where not showing up is considered a loss. He reiterated that this is a purely practical approach which would seem harsh for fighters compelled to pull out of upcoming bouts because of factors out of their control.

Here’s what Sonnen stated in a recent video on his official YouTube channel:

“Serena never did that, Mayweather never did that, Tiger Woods never did that. These guys are wimps, or they’re supposed to be, but they show up at an agreed-upon time and fighters don’t. And there should be a penalty, and you should pay for that. And it shouldn’t be done with heart. I understand we want to show people grace, and we want to lift them, right?” He continued, “A lot of times, these fights are missed due to illness or injury, that’s very tough stuff. In fact, there’s nothing more tough than that, that’s his health. It can’t be done that way, it can’t be done with heart. Because it is completely about who can get there on the agreed-upon date.”

Sonnen argued that athletes are expected to be at their best at a predetermined time and date. So, a forfeit should carry strict consequences. With Belal Muhammad unable to fight at UFC 310 due to a toe injury, the UFC Hall of Famer’s take on forfeits can certainly spark a debate among fans.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Reveals UFC Rule He Would Change As U.S. President: ‘Mayweather Never Did That…’ at MMA News.

Chael Sonnen Reveals UFC Rule He Would Change As U.S. President: ‘Mayweather Never Did That…’

Chael Sonnen has a hot take on the UFC rule he would change as the President of the United States.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Reveals UFC Rule He Would Change As U.S. President: ‘Mayweather Never Did That…’ at MMA News.

The U.S. Presidential elections are underway, giving UFC legend Chael Sonnen a chance to discuss fighters who could make good presidential candidates. From Khabib Nurmagomedov to Daniel Cormier, he had several names in mind but ultimately chose Brian Stan.

Sonnen also talked about what he would change in the UFC if he were the President of the United States. The former UFC title challenger demanded stringent laws around fighters missing weight, though he clarified that his wish is unlikely to be fulfilled in the real world.

“The American Gangster” admitted that MMA is risky, and fighters are prone to injuries and other complications while training. When a UFC fighter misses weight, they are required to forfeit 20-30% of their purse to their opponent and are eligible for any bonuses, or the fight is canceled.

Sonnen wants to amend the current system to penalize fighters for pulling out of fights and suggests rankings should be affected by such developments. He remembered watching wrestlers get their hands raised in the absence of an opponent and expects the UFC to recognize a forfeit similarly.

The retired MMA fighter also drew parallels to other sports such as basketball, boxing, tennis, golf, and football where not showing up is considered a loss. He reiterated that this is a purely practical approach which would seem harsh for fighters compelled to pull out of upcoming bouts because of factors out of their control.

Here’s what Sonnen stated in a recent video on his official YouTube channel:

“Serena never did that, Mayweather never did that, Tiger Woods never did that. These guys are wimps, or they’re supposed to be, but they show up at an agreed-upon time and fighters don’t. And there should be a penalty, and you should pay for that. And it shouldn’t be done with heart. I understand we want to show people grace, and we want to lift them, right?” He continued, “A lot of times, these fights are missed due to illness or injury, that’s very tough stuff. In fact, there’s nothing more tough than that, that’s his health. It can’t be done that way, it can’t be done with heart. Because it is completely about who can get there on the agreed-upon date.”

Sonnen argued that athletes are expected to be at their best at a predetermined time and date. So, a forfeit should carry strict consequences. With Belal Muhammad unable to fight at UFC 310 due to a toe injury, the UFC Hall of Famer’s take on forfeits can certainly spark a debate among fans.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Reveals UFC Rule He Would Change As U.S. President: ‘Mayweather Never Did That…’ at MMA News.