Chael Sonnen News

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2017

On Saturday, June 24, in the main event of the stacked Bellator NYC card, three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen will collide with Pride legend Wanderlei Silva in a fight that should go down as one of the biggest fights Bellator has ever promoted. Given the unfortunate, PED-related history of both men, of course, one would hope that both will undergo significant testing in the buildup to and fallout of this fight. Yet when asked previously by MMAFighting.com what kind of testing the two stars will undergo, the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) gave a rather vague answer.

Tom Taylor - May 11, 2017

Though Chael Sonnen is currently spearheading his own submission grappling league in Submission Underground (SUG), he is also staying busy on the competitive grappling circuit through his involvement in other promotions. This September, for example, he was supposed to compete under the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) banner, where he was expected to battle American Top Team coach Ricardo Liborio. Unfortunately, Liborio was forced to withdraw from this competition. The good news is that he’s been replaced by an even more recognizable member of the MMA community. Sonnen will now lock horns with former UFC heavyweight champion and decorated BJJ black belt Frank Mir.

Chris Taylor - May 6, 2017

Chael Sonnen channels his inner poet to attack Wanderlei Silva Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva will finally settle their beef on pay-per-view at “Bellator: New York” on June 24 under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Tom Taylor - April 16, 2017

Last night, in the main event of UFC on Fox 24, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson – known by the ring name “Mighty Mouse” – made a whopping 10th straight defense of his title. He did so with a third-round, arm bar induced submission defeat of BJJ blackbelt Wilson Reis – an incredible feat in its own right. With this win, Johnson tied Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history, and solidified his status as the best fighter currently competing in mixed martial arts. While Johnson’s dominance has been incredibly impressive, it has also created some unique problems for the UFC’s matchmaking team. The flyweight star has bushwhacked his entire division, leaving almost nothing in the way of deserving title challengers in his wake. As such, it’s going to be a real challenge for the UFC to find a deserving opponent for his next fight.

Tom Taylor - March 28, 2017

On June 24th, Bellator MMA will simultaneously make it’s first stop in New York City, and take its second crack at the pay-per-view business. It will do so with a stacked card titled Bellator NYC. This Bellator NYC card will be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between long-time rivals Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva. The co-main event, meanwhile, will be a rescheduled heavyweight bout between MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko and dangerous UFC veteran Matt Mitrione. The other confirmed fights for the main card, finally, are a pair of title fights, as Michael Chandler defends his lightweight title against Brent Primus and Douglas Lima defends the welterweight throne opposite new Bellator signee Lorenz Larkin. On Tuesday afternoon, the fighters mentioned above joined the media in New York City (Silva did so via Skype).

Scott Hernandez - March 28, 2017

Bellator MMA’s Chael Sonnen recently made his promotional debut against Tito Ortiz in The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s retirement fight earlier this year. Unfortunately for Sonnen, who was returning from his lengthy layoff following a suspension, he was submitted in the very first round. During a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Sonnen spoke about the loss, and why he believes that Ortiz is actually a terrible fighter:

Tom Taylor - March 28, 2017

On June 24th, Bellator MMA will simultaneously make it’s first stop in New York City, and take its second crack at the pay-per-view business. It will do so with a stacked card titled Bellator NYC.

Scott Hernandez - March 24, 2017

While conflicting reports have continued to emerge regarding a potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather scrap, one many has reportedly confirmed that a fight is indeed official. Chael Sonnen recently took to social media to announce that a fight between McGregor and Mayweather was indeed “on” leaving fight fans confused and skeptical as to where the info came from. While Bob Arum recently revealed that the UFC is the biggest obstacle in securing a deal for the fight, Sonnen has now revealed his source for the report that McGregor vs. Mayweather is official.

Chris Taylor - March 20, 2017

Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva is finally going to happen! The grudge match between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva is finally going to happen on June 24 in New York City.

Scott Hernandez - March 17, 2017

Throughout the course of 2017, conflicting reports have continued to emerge regarding the status of a potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing superfight. While offers have been made on both sides, neither party has been able to reach an agreement. With that being said, the NSAC revealed recently that they were aware of ongoing negotiations between the two parties. This was followed up by a statement from UFC President Dana White this week, in which he stated that he was confident a fight between McGregor and Mayweather would be official, saying:

Russell Ess - March 9, 2017

The always entertaining Chael Sonnen brings it again, this time talking about boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and the potential boxing match with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. Speaking on his latest You’re Welcome podcast, Sonnen questioned Mayweather recently telling McGregor to “sign the paper” so they could get the fight underway. Sonnen was bewildered as to what the “paper” actually was and if it even existed.

Scott Hernandez - March 1, 2017

Former UFC title challenger turned Bellator MMA fighter Chael Sonnen recently made quite the controversial claim when he stated that Tito Ortiz actually verbally submitted in their Bellator 170 main event scrap.

Scott Hernandez - February 25, 2017

Earlier this month at Bellator 172, UFC veteran Matt Mitrione was set to step into the Bellator MMA cage against MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko for a highly anticipated scrap that would serve as Emelianenko’s return to the United States following his return to MMA at the end of 2015. Unfortunately after months of buildup, training, and anticipation, Mitrione was pulled from the fight just hours before he an Emelianenko were set to throw down due to kidney stones that required hospitalization, and will subsequently result in the UFC vet undergoing surgery to deal with the situation.

Scott Hernandez - February 24, 2017

This week, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen revealed on his podcast that Tito Ortiz actually verbally tapped out in their Bellator 170 fight several weeks ago. He explained:

Scott Hernandez - February 24, 2017

Earlier this year, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen stepped into the Bellator MMA cage with UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz for a highly anticipated grudge match in the main event of Bellator 170. Ultimately, Ortiz picked up a 1st round submission win, catching Sonnen in a rear naked choke after Sonnen let go of a Japanese Necktie submission. Prior to that however, Sonnen had Ortiz caught in a guillotine, where he says that Ortiz verbally tapped out.

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2017

Last night, Bellator MMA returned to San Jose, California with Bellator 172. Until yesterday afternoon, we expected this card to be headlined by a heavyweight scrap between UFC veteran Matt Mitrione and heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. Unfortunately, disaster struck on Saturday afternoon, when Mitrione was forced out of the bout with kidney stones. In the wake of this shakeup, a Patricky Freire vs. Josh Thomson lightweight bout was elevated to the main event, and an opponent-less Fedor Emelianenko was removed from the card. Apparently, however, things very nearly turned out differently. According to a report from the ever-reliable Ariel Helwani, Bellator light heavyweight and cage-side commentator Chael Sonnen offered to step up to replace Mitrione on mere hours’ notice. Surprisingly enough, Bellator was apparently interested in pushing forward with this hastily arranged replacement fight, but unfortunately, they couldn’t make it happen in such a short time.

Scott Hernandez - January 25, 2017

This past weekend, in the main event of Bellator 170, UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz stepped into the Bellator MMA cage against former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen for a highly anticipated grudge match. The fight didn’t last long, as Ortiz quickly managed to secure the takedown and ultimately submit Sonnen with a rear-naked choke. While Sonnen tapped to the choke, viewers were quick to question the legitimacy of the fight, questioning whether or not the fight was fixed after footage emerged of Ortiz appearing to tap Sonnen’s hand, in what many assume was a signal. Ortiz was quick to fire back at critics in an interview:

Russell Ess - January 25, 2017

https://youtu.be/lzGu5VrJN34 Tito Ortiz left his gloves in the cage following his first round submission over Chael Sonnen in the main event at Bellator 170 over the weekend.