Chael Sonnen has added another name to his laundry list of fighters. In an interview on “It’s Time” with Bruce Buffer, the UFC middleweight contender voiced his opinion on several topics, including an upcoming bout between Ken Shamrock and IBA Hea…
Chael Sonnen has added another name to his laundry list of fighters.
In an interview on “It’s Time” with Bruce Buffer, the UFC middleweight contender voiced his opinion on several topics, including an upcoming bout between Ken Shamrock and IBA Heavyweight champion, James Toney.
Never one to shy away from making his opinions go unheard, Sonnen said he predicts the bout won’t happen, and in fact, never was going to happen.
“Ken Shamrock is going around to all these different promoters doing his typical scumbag move getting money up front saying, ‘You know, I’m a Hall of Famer and I don’t even know if you guys are going to exist, so give me a 10 grand signing bonus,'” Sonnen said.
“He’s not gonna fight James Toney anymore than you are. He never was. That fight won’t happen, mark my words,” he added.
Sonnen, who will make his anticipated return at UFC 136 against Brian Stann, also sounded off on UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen lost to the Brazilian in a title bout at UFC 117 last year, which saw Sonnen dominate his opponent from the opening bell. Silva would lock in a triangle choke near the end of the fight that saw him secure the win.
However, Sonnen see’s it differently.
“In what parallel scoring system do you punch a man three hundred times, he hits you eleven times, wraps his legs around your head for eight seconds and they declare him the winner? That doesn’t make you a winner,” he said.
The trash-talk and criticism is nothing new from Sonnen. He has repeatedly bashed Silva, along with the rest of the Brazilian’s training camp, Team Blackhouse. Sonnen will face Brian Stann at UFC 136, where the winner will likely earn a title shot next year.
Chael Sonnen may have lost to Anderson Silva on paper, but the self-proclaimed “People’s Champ” truly believes he walked away from the bout a winner. The brash Oregon native was recently a guest on Bruce Buffer’s It’s Time show on the Sherdog Radi…
Chael Sonnen may have lost to Anderson Silva on paper, but the self-proclaimed “People’s Champ” truly believes he walked away from the bout a winner.
The brash Oregon native was recently a guest on Bruce Buffer’s It’s Time show on the Sherdog Radio Network, where he had strong words regarding his UFC 117 loss to Silva and the MMA scoring system.
“In what parallel scoring system do you punch a man 300 times, he hits you 11 times, wraps his leg around your head for eight seconds and they declare him the winner?” Sonnen asked during the show.
“That doesn’t make you a winner. In no form of society, from the jungle to the streets, does that make you a winner. I’m the people’s champion. I’m the linear champion.
“I’m the best middleweight there’s ever been, and I am the UFC’s true champion.”
The Silva and Sonnen feud has gone on for over a year. It came to a climax when Silva submitted Sonnen in the fifth round of their August 2010 bout after getting dominated for 23 minutes.
The late fight heroics have led to continued verbal exchanges between the two that seem to capture headlines on a weekly basis. Sonnen said on the Sherdog show that he outright doesn’t like Silva or anyone from his Black House gym.
When it comes to Chael Sonnen, what you see is what you get. There isn’t a facade or cheap hope for fight promotion. Sonnen truly believes in what he says. If not, he simply wouldn’t say it. As Sonnen said on the program, he doesn’t “manufacture conflict.”
Sonnen goes on to point out welterweight contender Josh Koscheck, who went out of his to get under Georges St-Pierre’s skin before their title bout in December 2010.
After months of talk, Koscheck retracted his comments after losing a lopsided unanimous decision to St-Pierre. In his post-fight interview, Koscheck admitted that all of the trash talk was only meant to hype the fight.
Despite being a long-time friend of Koscheck’s, Sonnen said he sees something incredibly wrong with this picture:
I’ve known Josh Koscheck for 13 years. He’s got my full support. He’s a friend of mine. If I had the ability, I would have fired him after the St-Pierre fight.
Not because of the beyond atrocious performance he put on, but [for] the fact that he built the fight up––he hyped it, and he grabbed the microphone and tells everybody, ‘Hey, I didn’t mean that.’ Somewhere in fighting that’s OK? That is a fraudulent criminal act in my opinion.
Sonnen calls fighters out when he truly has a problem with them, but “The All-American” Brian Stann doesn’t seem to be one of those guys. Both middleweights are scheduled to meet on Oct. 8 at UFC 136 in a bout that could determine a new No. 1 contender for the UFC title.
“I’m not going to manufacture a conflict against Brian Stann. He’s a friend of mine. He’s a great guy. He’s a world champion,” Sonnen said.
“He and I need to compete with each other. I’m the middleweight champion of the world, and Dana White and I together have deemed him the No. 1 contender for my championship. I will give him his opportunity on Oct. 8. That’s it. Win or lose, we will shake hands, and we will carry on life as men and as friends.”
Earlier today, there was an interesting article posted here at Bleacher Report, which posed the question of whether or not Brock Lesnar’s time as a UFC championship contender was over. Obviously, this is a question that only Lesnar himself will b…
Earlier today, there was an interesting article posted here at Bleacher Report, which posed the question of whether or not Brock Lesnar‘s time as a UFC championship contender was over. Obviously, this is a question that only Lesnar himself will be able to answer. However, even as a huge supporter of the former heavyweight kingpin, I find myself doubting that Brock will ever return to the top of the mountain in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
After his first bout with diverticulitis, the toll taken on Brock Lesnar’s body was readily apparent. He fought two fights after his original year-long layoff from the sport, and though he was miraculously victorious in his return bout against Shane Carwin, he was far from impressive in either. Both times, Brock was quite a bit smaller (but still huge, in fairness) than he had been prior to the onset of his illness. Both times, he was absolutely clobbered by his opponent throughout Round 1.
For the first fight back, luck was riding on Lesnar’s side. Carwin gassed himself out looking for the Round 1 finish, allowing Lesnar to gain an easy takedown and submission in Round 2. Unfortunately for Brock, he would have no such luck in his next fight against Cain Velasquez. This time, his opponent had a gas tank that would take much longer than two minutes to hit empty. Velasquez easily brutalized the much larger Lesnar, and walked out with a championship belt around his waste.
After coaching on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, Lesnar was forced to pull out of his last scheduled fight with Junior dos Santos. The dreaded intestinal disease had struck again. Though he has been out ever since, Brock will return. That much is certain. But it is highly doubtful that he will ever be the same as he was during his initial run. One bout with diverticulitis was hard enough on him, and I doubt the second will be much better. If I were to guess, I’d say he will be out of the fight game entirely by 2013. Brock Lesnar isn’t the type of man to stick with a sport just to be second best. If he can’t recapture his former glory, and he probably won’t, I imagine he won’t be around long for the MMA world.
So, the question I ask is this: Who IS the “next big thing” for the UFC?
Regardless of your personal opinion of Brock as a mixed martial artist, no one can deny the amount of attention (read: money) he brought into the UFC. There has never been a single fighter who has received as much fanfare, controversy, love and hatred as Brock Lesnar. Be it WWE fans who have followed him since his debut there in 2002, hardcore MMA fans who simply want to see him exposed as some sort of fraud or anything in between, people will pay good money to see Lesnar fight. Period.
If Brock Lesnar’s UFC run truly has seen its peak, which fighter out there can pick up where he left off? Hardcore MMA fans will buy monthly pay-per-view shows whether Brock is to be found or not, but who will retain the casual fans whose wallets he opened up for Dana White & Company?
I only have one answer, given the current crop of talent, and that is Chael Sonnen. Like Lesnar, there isn’t a single fan of the sport who doesn’t have some kind of opinion of the man. You either love him or hate him, and that’s definitely a good thing for business. People will pay to see Chael Sonnen back up his ridiculous trash talk, or people will pay to see Chael Sonnen get his mouth shut by a superior athlete. Either way, his presence is good for the UFC.
I’m not saying that Sonnen is the most talented fighter in the business. That’s certainly not the case. He is, however, the most interesting fighter in the business. If Brock Lesnar is on the way out, and that very well may be, I believe Chael Sonnen must be the man who picks up the incredible amount of slack that will undoubtedly be left in his wake.
… I want to know what you think, readers. In your opinion, who is the next big thing? Cast your vote, and please elaborate, in the comments section below. I’m looking forward to seeing what you think!
Almost exactly a year ago, MMA fans will probably recall a radio interview with Larry Pepe of MMA Radio where a caller accused Lance Armstrong of giving himself cancer due to steroid use. When Sonnen appeared on ESPN correspondent Jim Rome’…
Almost exactly a year ago, MMA fans will probably recall a radio interview with Larry Pepe of MMA Radio where a caller accused Lance Armstrong of giving himself cancer due to steroid use.
For those who can’t exactly recall the comments in question, the quote reads as follows:
“Lance Armstrong did a number of things, and he gave himself cancer. He cheated, he did drugs, and he gave himself cancer. Well, instead of saying ‘Hey listen, I cheated and gave myself cancer.
“’Don’t be like me’ he actually made himself the victim and then went out and profited something like $15 million from this, ‘Hey, poor me, let’s find a cure for cancer’ campaign instead of just coming clean and saying, ‘Look, here’s what I did, I screwed myself up, and I hope people learn from my mistakes.’ ”
Not like it was ever any sort of secret or mystery, but Yahoo! Sports is reporting that at the UFC 133 question and answer Sonnen hosted last week, he finally admitted who made the call about one year ago.
At the UFC 133 weigh-ins, Sonnen happily answered a fan’s question about the 2010 incident.
“Of course it was me,” Sonnen exclaimed.
“Come on, ‘Was it me?’ I’m a genius. That was the single greatest thing I’ve ever done. I’m so proud of that moment, and I’m disappointed that I’ve outed it, because there are actually people out there who don’t think that was me.”
Sonnen gave some context to the situation, as Yahoo explains:
“Sonnen said he had been preparing to fight Silva in a building named after Armstrong on the Nike campus. He said he’d just watched Floyd Landis make comments ripping Armstrong on television the night before he made his comments.”
The always controversial UFC middleweight admitted that Rome’s questioning had caught him off guard and that it actually caused quite an issue with Nike.
“The guys at Nike really think it’s not me,” Sonnen said.
“So, they’ve got this high-tech sound equipment at Nike in something they call ‘The Hive,’ where they make their commercials that are aired throughout the whole world.
“It’s like super high-tech and they’re playing the tape of when I said Lance Armstrong, but I denied that I said it versus when I say something else that has the ‘ah’ of Armstrong.”
“There was a different sound in the ‘a.’ So these major players at Nike start to get involved, and they want to crack this forensic code and clear my name.”
Sonnen, perhaps feeling bad for the trouble he caused, sent a Nike representative a text message saying that he would take the blame in this situation.
“I said, ‘Hey guys, you might want to back off on this,’ because I got roughed up on this one and I’m going to have to take the bump,” Sonnen recalled.
Before he concluded, Sonnen also wanted to take a few moments to talk about his UFC 136 opponent, Brian “The All-American” Stann.
Since the fight was made official, Sonnen has maintained that he likes Stann as a person and respects him as a fighter, and therefore would not engage in any trash talking.
He kept that trend steady here, although his comments were in a rather lighthearted tone.
“Brian Stann is a great guy. I wrote him in and voted for him for the President of the United States in 2008,” Sonnen stated.
“I will write him in again in 2012 and when he becomes the legal age of 35 by 2016, per our constitution, I would hope that you all vote for Brian Stann. He is an outstanding human being.”
Well, at least no one will accuse Sonnen for not having a healthy amount of respect for the former Silver Star recipient and Marine Captain.
As has been the norm recently for Sonnen, he couldn’t resist a pro wrestling reference before he called it a day.
“Look, this isn’t 1984. This isn’t Iron Sheik vs. Sergeant Slaughter. I’m not going to walk to the ring in curled-up boots looking for a camel clutch,” Sonnen assured.
“I’m not the bad guy here. He’s an American. I’m an American, too. He loves the USA. I love the USA, but on Oct. 8 in Houston, Texas, there’s going to be a red, white and blue ***-whipping.”
Sonnen and Stann meet in the co-main event at UFC 136. The event is hosted at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, on October 8.
While suffering through The Change-Up this weekend, I started thinking about the hypothetical situation of MMA fighters switching bodies. Obviously, one fighter would get the short end of the stick, like in all relationships, but other than that, it’s all good news from there. Imagine the man with a warrior spirit and broken body upgrading for a newer model. Imagine the heavy-duty gas-guzzler being replaced by a tiny, eco-friendly, electric car. Imagine experience and youth joining forces to reign terror on anything that steps in its way. So who most deserves a cinematic body-swap? Read on and find out…
BJ Penn and Brock Lesnar
Advantage: Baby Jay
For years, Penn has been criticized for his lack of self-discipline and willingness to stay in shape. Switching bodies would solve that problem and create what might be the best heavyweight in UFC history. A Nova Uniao Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with explosive striking and a granite chin, Penn has everything that Lesnar wishes he had. The Prodigy would be a wrecking ball at heavyweight if he had Brock’s body — as long as the viking took the diverticulitis thing with him. If he had to keep the illness during the switch, then I guess we could all agree that we’d like to see Josh Koscheck trade bodies with Brock.
(Unlike the rest of us, the eye candy in the back decided to open her eyes for Cyborg.)
While suffering through The Change-Up this weekend, I started thinking about the hypothetical situation of MMA fighters switching bodies. Obviously, one fighter would get the short end of the stick, like in all relationships, but other than that, it’s all good news from there. Imagine the man with a warrior spirit and broken body upgrading for a newer model. Imagine the heavy-duty gas-guzzler being replaced by a tiny, eco-friendly, electric car. Imagine experience and youth joining forces to reign terror on anything that steps in its way. So who most deserves a cinematic body-swap? Read on and find out…
BJ Penn and Brock Lesnar
Advantage: Baby Jay
For years, Penn has been criticized for his lack of self-discipline and willingness to stay in shape. Switching bodies would solve that problem and create what might be the best heavyweight in UFC history. A Nova Uniao Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with explosive striking and a granite chin, Penn has everything that Lesnar wishes he had. The Prodigy would be a wrecking ball at heavyweight if he had Brock’s body — as long as the viking took the diverticulitis thing with him. If he had to keep the illness during the switch, then I guess we could all agree that we’d like to see Josh Koscheck trade bodies with Brock.
Roy Nelson and Clay Guida
Advantage: Nelson
The TUF 10: Heavyweights winner is in a slump following back-to-back losses against JDS and Frank Mir. You remember seeing ‘Big Country’ sucking wind and basically collapsing after the final horn, right? I can’t remember another fighter looking worse in the Octagon besides Kimbo. We know from the JDS fight that Nelson is capable of eating punches and asking for more while his black belt in BJJ is evident when the fight hits the mat. Question: Why doesn’t he win more? Cardio? Heart? Answer: Both.
Wrap up Roy’s knowledge, passion, and skill inside the body of Clay Guida and you’ve got yourself a force to be reckoned with. The Carpenter is the most fuel efficient guy on the roster, and his thick neanderthal-esque skull will provide the x-factor in Nelson’s game. Wishing you had Mo Lawal’s oxygen supplier in your corner will become a thing of the past as a “new” lightweight makes a mad dash for Edgar’s title. The only question that comes to mind when pondering this swap of bodies is whether Roy will keep Guida’s famous hair or go for a mullet.
Gina Carano and Cristiane ‘Cris Cyborg’ Santos
Advantage: Fans
Not to take anything away from the budding Hollywood actress, but Cyborg is a genetic freak and the more skilled female fighter. But what Carano lacks in MMA dominance, she more than makes up for in beauty and star-power. Gina Carano is hotter than a Tezpur Chili on the Scoville Scale and because Cyborg would get Carano’s body while keeping her wicked awesome skills, Chyna would have to give the title of ‘9th Wonder of the World‘ to Santos. Makes perfect sense to us. Honestly, this one actually should be a movie.
Jim Miller and Chael Sonnen
Advantage: Miller
The 20 and 2 AMA product is overdue for a title shot. (You could argue that Clay Guida deserves one first after defeating former #1 contender Anthony Pettis, but you could also argue that Strikeforce won’t be swallowed up by the UFC next year.) Jim Miller is riding an incredible seven-fight win streak, leaving behind a pile of game competitors. So why no shot at the belt yet? Consider this: walk around your local mall or sports bar and ask random dudes who Jim Miller is. “Isn’t he that ‘Bully Beatdown’ guy?” is probably how most would respond.
Apparently top-notch technique and continued success just aren’t enough. What’s missing? The personality to make people want to see you compete — and remember when you do — and the charisma to captivate an audience both in and out of the cage. Enter Chael Sonnen, aka Senor Chael. Problem solved. The only downside is that if we do get to see Silva vs. Sonnen 2, the pre-fight hype will be downgraded from AAA to AA+.
Wanderlei Silva and Jon Jones
Advantage: Wandy
Of all the fighters who we’d love to see switch bodies, this might be our favorite. We are unabashedly huge fans of ‘The Axe Murderer’ and wish he could somehow drink from the mystical Fountain of Youth to prolong his storied career as one of MMA’s coolest/scariest dudes.
Jon Jones has the largest reach of active UFC fighters. Do you even understand the possibilities of what that kind of wingspan could do when combined with one of the sport’s most lethal strikers? This would literally be the second coming of Wanderlei Silva! Look, we know he’s still got the itch to fight. New body, fresh outlook, old scores to settle.
Is Jonny Bones getting the short end of the stick? Absolutely. But look on the bright side — at least he won’t have to duck Rashad anymore.
If a movie was made about a fighter in the UFC, who would be the actor to play that fighter?This was a question that was posed to me, interested me, and I was intrigued to find out.Before embarking on a quest to find the actors that could play the figh…
If a movie was made about a fighter in the UFC, who would be the actor to play that fighter?
This was a question that was posed to me, interested me, and I was intrigued to find out.
Before embarking on a quest to find the actors that could play the fighter in question, I had to set some guidelines and criteria.
One of my criteria was that the actor has to bear some physical resemblance to the fighter. I mean, it wouldn’t make sense if Danny DeVito was cast to play Jose Aldo would it?
Next, I decided that the fighter needed to have an interesting enough life story for it to be made into a movie.
However, the problem with this, is that some of the more intriguing stories of fighters did not have anyone that bore any resemblance to the fighter. If I just picked any actor to portray any fighter, there would be no need for this slideshow.
With these factors and more in mind, I set off to find the actors that would play the fighters if a movie was made about them.
Bear in mind, this is a light hearted piece.
So without further ado, here are the actors I have selected that could potentially portray fighters, if movies were made about them.
Chael Sonnen has added another name to his laundry list of fighters. 
