Tag: Chael Sonnen

Why Chael Sonnen thinks Tom Aspinall potentially facing Ciryl Gane at UFC 304 is a big risk

Chael Sonnen doesn’t want to see Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane next.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] doesn’t want to see [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] next.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) confirmed that he’ll be fighting at UFC 304, which will take place July 27 in the newly built Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

Aspinall dismissed Gane as a potential opponent after Gane refused to acknowledge his presence this past September in Paris. Aspinall watched Gane finish Serghei Spivac, but didn’t get his desired face-off. Gane hasn’t competed since, but Aspinall wound up facing Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title at UFC 295, and knocked him out to claim the belt. Now Aspinall is making Gane wait his turn.

Cormier likes Aspinall vs. Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) next, but Sonnen sees a big problem with that fight.

“I believe that the problem is if you do bring Ciryl back, if he wins, you put a belt around Ciryl,” Sonnen said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “If Jon Jones is agreeable, you’re going to do a rematch between Jon Jones and Ciryl.

“I think that’s too tough after the performance that Ciryl gave (at UFC 285), or did not give. I just don’t think there’s any scenario where they re-do that match, and you would run into a big risk if you put the belt around him.”

Aspinall wants to run things back with Blaydes. Blaydes handed Aspinall his only octagon loss when Aspinall blew out his knee just 18 seconds into their fight in July 2022. Blaydes is coming off an impressive knockout of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299 – snapping the Brazilian contender’s 15-fight winning streak.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Chael Sonnen rejects Daniel Cormier’s idea of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler for UFC 165-pound title

Chael Sonnen has a number of reasons why he’s not on board with Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler being for a 165-pound title.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] is not on board with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] having a 165-pound championship on the line.

Cormier advocated for the UFC to introduce a 165-pound weight class through a title fight between McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who square off in a welterweight bout June 29 at UFC 303 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) in Las Vegas.

Chandler mentioned that idea during an interview with The MacLife, and Cormier is all in.

“I believe that if they’re going to do a 165-pound division, it should have a name attached to the weight class that is so big that it draws people’s attention, Conor McGregor being that name,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “Michael Chandler, on the other hand, will benefit from being in the right place at the right time, where these guys would then fight for the super lightweight championship of the world, because that’s what I believe it is.”

Sonnen, however, isn’t a as enthusiastic as Cormier and doesn’t see a 165-pound division happening.

“This is not accurate; it’s entertaining,” Sonnen said. “There is no need for a 165-pound title, for one. Part two, the commission does not sanction 165-pound fights. Part three, the UFC does not contest a 165-pound division.

“Part four, these guys combined are coming off of more losses than I’ve had in my entire career. So, if anybody is coming back to fight for a mythical belt, it will be yours truly.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Chael Sonnen: Alex Pereira can become MMA GOAT if he wins UFC heavyweight title

Chael Sonnen makes a case for Alex Pereira becoming the greatest of all time if he can capture the UFC heavyweight title.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] makes a case for [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] becoming the greatest MMA fighter of all time if he can capture the UFC heavyweight title.

Pereira (10-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC), a former middleweight champion, retained his light heavyweight title when he knocked out Jamahal Hill in the first round of Saturday’s UFC 300 main event.

Pereira’s rise to the top has been nothing short of spectacular. The former two-division Glory kickboxing champion had an immediate impact upon signing with the UFC in 2021, which resulted in titles in two weight divisions. If he can capture a third belt – which has never been done in the UFC – Sonnen said fans need to start considering Pereira as the greatest of all time.

“I look at Alex Pereira. That’s an amateur; he has an amateur’s record,” Sonnen said on “The Fighter and The Kid” podcast. “He’s done it 12 times now. He’s only done it eight in the octagon but within those eight, he’s captured two world titles, and he’s beaten five world champions. And if I was to tell you that Alex Pereira – who’s never had a wrestling match, he’s never had a grappling match, he is not a black belt – is the greatest to have ever done it, you would roll your eyes.

“But if he became champ-champ-champ, and he is the first person ever that could actually do it, we stand back and go, ‘He actually might be able to.’ If he did that, we’re not out having a conversation on who the GOAT is. We will just refer to him as the GOAT. …Think of how great Georges St-Pierre is but you know he won 70, 185, but none of us thought he could go up to 205. Or Daniel Cormier, when he gets the heavyweight, the light heavyweight but we knew he couldn’t make the weight class of 185. It’s one of those things where a guy can only go so far.”

After knocking out Hill, Pereira expressed interest in a quick turnaround at heavyweight for UFC 301 on May 4 in his home country of Brazil. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who was in attendance, posted a cryptic image of him staring down Pereira.

“He really does want the Tom fight. That wasn’t just like, you know, he’s high on adrenaline,” Sonnen said. “He tried to get the Tom fight at 300. Remember, he was putting out that that cryptic equation, three plus 30 equals 300. He really would do it, and he’d be the first person where we’d stand back – and I’m not saying I think he could beat Tom, but he’d be the first person we go, ‘Yeah give him a shot, he might be able to beat him.'”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Chael Sonnen: Sean O’Malley’s win over Marlon Vera ‘the single best performance I’ve ever seen’

Chael Sonnen was in awe of Sean O’Malley’s performance against Marlon Vera at UFC 299.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] was in awe of UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s performance against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag].

O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) put a striking clinic on Vera (21-9-1 MMA, 15-8 UFC) for five rounds to retain his title in Saturday’s UFC 299 main event. Sonnen was especially impressed with O’Malley’s ability to control range and hit Vera from all angles.

“I was with Henry Cejudo last night, very good friends, so no bias here, the best ’35-pounder I’ve ever seen is Dominick Cruz – move over, Dominick,” Sonnen said on the ESPN UFC 299 post-fight show. “I mean, that was the single best performance I’ve ever seen. Controlling range to that ability … Merab (Dvalishvili) will be the favorite here. People are going to forget this real quick.

“However, I now have my own questions. You want to know why ‘Chito’ didn’t try to take him down? The same reason the other five guys never tried to take him down: They can’t get inside. He controls range. It is an unbelievable thing. He will hit you going that way (forward), he will hit you backing up, he will hit you going to the side. Nobody can do that.”

Although O’Malley was seen sporting a cast on his hand and foot after the fight, Sonnen praised him for having the cardio to outlast Vera in a five-round fight.

“I would also like to tip my hat a little bit to the endurance,” Sonnen said. “I questioned if Sean could hold up for 25 minutes.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 commentary team, broadcast plans set: Lead PPV team with Joe Rogan gets first call of 2024

The UFC’s lead commentary team of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier will call its first card of 2024 at UFC 299 in Miami.

The third numbered UFC event of 2024 is rapidly approaching with UFC 299 on Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.

As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.

Details of who will be working as commentators and analysts for the show have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the plans – and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.

Chael Sonnen isn’t keen on seeing Sean Strickland fight Robert Whittaker: ‘It eliminates a top guy’

Chael Sonnen doesn’t like the potential consequences of Sean Strickland fighting Robert Whittaker.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] doesn’t want to see [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] fight [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

After returning to the win column with a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298, Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) said he sees fellow former champion Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) as a logical next opponent.

With middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis linked to a title fight against Israel Adesanya, Sonnen thinks a potential Strickland vs. Whittaker fight would take out a title contender.

“I don’t know how Sean Strickland should handle it,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “My thought on it is contrary to what I would generally have. I think Strickland should ignore it. I don’t think that those two should fight. I don’t think that that behooves all of us. I think it eliminates a top guy. Generally in this sport, all we’re trying to do is get the top guys vs. the top guys.

“I get it. The timing feels off to me. It just feels off to me. If you agree with me and you think it’s off, what you’re not going to think that, and you’re not going to agree with me, and we’re not going to have this same opinion one week from now if Sean Strickland jumps onboard and addresses it. … I think it’s the wrong direction.”

Prior to beating Costa, Whittaker suffered a TKO loss to Du Plessis at UFC 290. Strickland is coming off a title loss to Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January.

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Chael Sonnen’s advice for Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa after UFC 298: ‘No more breaks’

Chael Sonnen says activity is key for both Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa after UFC 298.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] says activity is key for both [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) outlasted Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a thrilling battle in this past Saturday’s UFC 298 co-main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Whittaker fought once in 2023, suffering a TKO loss to current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290. Costa has been far less active, not fighting in 2023, and logging in just one fight a year since 2018. Sonnen would like to see both fighters compete more often.

“Robert Whittaker is as true and pure of a fighter as I’ve ever seen,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He is an absolute lock to go into the Hall of Fame. And when I look at Whittaker and where he needs to go from now, it’s the same analysis that I will look at Paulo Costa and where Paulo needs to go from now, which is quite simply no more breaks. No more year delays. No more talking about talking, and meeting about meetings, and thinking about thinking. You got to compete.

“Got to go in there, get that contract signed, get back in that training camp, and turn over as many performances as you can. It’s the one thing that brings pause when you’re talking about Robert Whittaker’s career. Where should we go with him now? Well, I need to know that he’s active. I need to know that he can take on three fights a year. The same thing goes for Paulo Costa.”

Costa, 32, is now 1-3 in his past four fights. The former title challenger’s lone victory in that stretch came over Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night war at UFC 278.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

PFL vs. Bellator broadcast team set: Chael Sonnen, Josh Thomson, Jonathan Coachman, more

The PFL-Bellator era is upon us, and a new broadcast team has been revealed.

The upcoming PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event marks the start of a new era, which will come with a new broadcast team.

The event takes place Feb. 24 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+, DAZN, ESPNews).

Following PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, the promotion has crafted a team of analysts and commentators previously associated with each brand.

Tuesday, a promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the broadcast lineup, which can be seen below.

Chael Sonnen rips Jon Jones for revealing UFC 300 offer: ‘There’s a level of stupid that’s really hard to achieve’

Chael Sonnen doesn’t like that Jon Jones outed the UFC by revealing they called him to headline UFC 300.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] believes heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] outed the UFC by revealing that it called him to headline UFC 300.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), who’s currently recovering from surgeries on a torn pectoral muscle and left elbow, claimed that he declined a recent offer to headline UFC 300 on nine weeks’ notice.

Sonnen, who fought Jones at UFC 159 in April 2013 and suffered a first-round TKO loss, has had many issues with him over the years. His former opponent airing that publicly is another misstep in Sonnen’s opinion.

“Jon Jones comes out and he says, ‘Yeah, the UFC, they just offered me a main event for UFC 300,’ and I would just have absolutely no idea what goes through that guy’s head,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “There’s a level of stupid that’s really hard to achieve. I mean, it’s hard. And in fairness, I wouldn’t know. When would it be OK for Jon to claim that he was offered a main event at UFC 300? When would that be OK to claim? When he wasn’t. If he was not offered that, if he’s working, if that’s a hustle to get a headline, he did a great job.

“You have a heavyweight champion of the world who is amongst the best to have ever done it in any weight class. Heavyweight sucks, so it’s not like a compliment to say, ‘He’s the best heavyweight ever.’ No, man, I’m talking about a real compliment to Jon, just one of the best to ever do it period. But you have to understand if no one’s talking about you, then you’re not. It’s not questionable or a maybe. If the world’s not talking about you, you’re not.”

Sonnen questions the validity of Jones’ UFC 300 claim. He referenced Daniel Cormier calling Jones a bad employee to explain that Jones saying he was offered a UFC 300 headlining spot does harm to the company.

“If he made this up, if this is a lie about 300, great job,” Sonnen said. “First time you’ve ever done a great job – great job. But because it would be the first time, because that’s off brand, I don’t think it’s what happened. I think he got a phone call. So, now he comes out and he outs the organization. He just outs the organization, ‘Hey man, these guys don’t have a main event.'”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

 

UFC 298 commentary team, broadcast plans set: Michael Bisping joins Jon Anik, Joe Rogan in booth

Daniel Cormier won’t be on the call for UFC 298 and instead Michael Bisping will join Jon Anik and Joe Rogan as cageside commentators.

The second numbered UFC event of 2024 is rapidly approaching with UFC 298 on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.

Details of who will be working as commentators and analysts for the show have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the plans – and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.

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