Out of all the things Chael Sonnen could say in order to get inside of an opponent’s head, he seems hesitant to do so against Brian Stann. In an interview on The Fight Fix, Sonnen revealed that preparing for Stann is more difficult compared to his…
Out of all the things Chael Sonnen could say in order to get inside of an opponent’s head, he seems hesitant to do so against Brian Stann.
In an interview on The Fight Fix, Sonnen revealed that preparing for Stann is more difficult compared to his previous matchups because of how much respect he holds for him.
“When I get a fight, when they call me and say ‘Hey do you want to fight so and so?’ the answer is yes,” Sonnen said.
“It was different with Brian (Stann),” he said.
At UFC 136, Sonnen and Stann will meet in a middleweight bout to likely determine the next challenger for the UFC middleweight title. The respect and friendship Sonnen has for Stann is evident and it has obviously bothered him prior to his bout.
However, Sonnen said he had a private conversation with Stann and was assured the fight wasn’t “a big deal.”
“It’s the right thing to do. It’s what the company asked us to do, it’s what the division needs. We’re two of the top guys,” he said regarding his bout with Stann.
UFC 136 will mark Sonnen’s first bout in a year following his loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last August.
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.
One featherweight in dire need of a win will take over for another in similar standing.
Nam Phan will look to end a two-fight losing streak in the UFC when he steps in as a replacement to face Matt Grice at UFC 136 on Oct. 8 in Houston, Texas, the UFC has announced.
Grice’s originally scheduled opponent Josh Grispi recently withdrew from the preliminary bout. Entering the UFC earlier this year as a No. 1 contender for Jose Aldo‘s belt, Grispi has since lost both his UFC fights to Dustin Poirier and George Roop.
Phan (16-9) is looking to hold onto his spot on the roster after falling to Leonard Garcia in a highly controversial decision and losing last weekend against Mike Brown. He’s a mainstay in the California MMA scene and is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout.
Grice (13-4) returned to the UFC in June and lost via first-round TKO to Ricardo Lamas. In his previous stint with the UFC, Grice compiled a 1-3 record from April 2007 through July 2009. This UFC 136 fight will be the former University of Oklahoma wrestler’s second try at 145 pounds.
By now, every slightly more than casual UFC fan knows that each of the seven UFC champions will defend their titles between now and Thanksgiving. Those are the kinds of fights that every fight fan knows about. The kinds of fights that people pay $50 to…
By now, every slightly more than casual UFC fan knows that each of the seven UFC champions will defend their titles between now and Thanksgiving. Those are the kinds of fights that every fight fan knows about. The kinds of fights that people pay $50 to order the PPVs to watch.
The fights on this list are the fights that not everybody is talking about that they shouldn’t look at as “just a throw-in fight to fill out a fight card.” The fights on this list are the bouts people should not forget about.
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.
Wanderlei Silva is the definition of a legend. From the moment Sandstorm hits, through the loosened wrists and stare from hell, right on into an unleashed fury the likes of which few can match in a ring or cage, Silva will be remembered as the embodime…
Wanderlei Silva is the definition of a legend. From the moment Sandstorm hits, through the loosened wrists and stare from hell, right on into an unleashed fury the likes of which few can match in a ring or cage, Silva will be remembered as the embodiment of all that’s right in competition.
He’s also perhaps the nicest lunatic the world has ever seen, referring to his fans as his “friends” and constantly wearing a smile after years of soccer kicking overmatched opposition senseless.
However, after a lifetime of putting on wars to bring fans out of their seats instead of looking to win on points, many fear that Silva’s best days are behind him. And those who don’t fear the possibility are the ones who salivate at using him as a big-name notch in their belts.
Yoshihiro Akiyama called him out.
Brian Stann gave it a shot.
Michael Bisping wants some more one day.
Chael Sonnen won’t let their war of words die.
Chris Leben called him out, and got him.
Basically anyone who thinks Wandy is chinny and on the downside of his career wants to get in there and tee off in hopes of being able to claim one day that they beat the legend. Bank on it that if this was 2006, none of these men would be so eager to get in there with him.
But that’s not the point.
The point is that the 2011 Axe Murderer has a target on his back, and he still has the spirit that made him great. He has no fear of any of these men, or anyone else, and he could care less which ones he gets or what order he gets them in. He just wants to fight all of them.
Unfortunately, in order to run down that list, Silva needs to focus more on a gameplan and controlled aggression—as he did successfully against Bisping—than on being the man who tore up Pride with flailing limbs and explosive Muay Thai.
Should he ever get Akiyama, it’s a winnable fight, but not by knockout. He needs to fight smart and play the game a little bit, because Akiyama is as durable as anyone and can make you pay for being reckless.
Stann has likely moved out of Silva’s current range after beating Leben, and could be looking at a top ten guy in his next outing. A decisive win over The Crippler might get Wandy that fight, but again, if he doesn’t control his aggression Stann will hurt him. That’s why he called for him in the first place.
The Bisping/Silva feud is done, get over it Mike. It wasn’t that close, and you ended the fight almost unconscious. That’s not rematch material.
Sonnen is a terrible matchup for Silva, someone who can talk enough to get under his skin a little, and an accomplished wrestler with limitless cardio. That fight ends up with Sonnen in Wandy’s guard, Wandy eating elbows and punches tirelessly for 15 minutes, and Sonnen proving he can at least beat someone named Silva.
This weekend against Leben, recklessness will lead to Wandy looking up at the lights. He can’t take shots like he used to, and Leben has dynamite in his hands. Pedal-to-the-metal forward pressure won’t scare Leben, who can take a punch as well as any middleweight in the world, and the risk of a counter left hand can’t be ignored. Fight smart or suffer a debilitating loss as far as upward mobility in the division is concerned.
In the twilight of his career, Wanderlei Silva needs to realize that he’s done enough for his “friends” that they don’t need—or want—to see him going out on his shield every time he fights. Most would prefer he fight slightly more conservatively, control his aggression, be a little evasive, and explode when necessary. There isn’t any need to throw caution to the wind against middle-of-the-road middleweights if getting back into contention is the goal, because he’s earned the right to put winning ahead of entertaining.
Saturday night will be the first test of whether or not Silva has realized that fully. He did a solid job against Bisping, but the margin for error is smaller against the violent Leben. But either way, he’ll leave it all in the cage as he has his entire career, and no one can ask any less of a mixed martial artist.
Out of all the things Chael Sonnen could say in order to get inside of an opponent’s head, he seems hesitant to do so against Brian Stann. 
One featherweight in dire need of a win will take over for another in similar standing.