MMA News

Tag: Chael Sonnen

  • Sonnen Questions McGregor’s Physique Change: ‘You’re Not Training’

    Chael Sonnen is not convinced that the recent physique transformation of Conor McGregor is a good thing.

    McGregor has been on the sidelines since breaking his leg in the trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier, working to recover from this devastating injury. However, he recently showed that he has made some big gains in this downtime, showing off a massive frame for the former featherweight and lightweight champion.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CW-lAT3JoWC/

    While some people looked at this as a sign that McGregor is jacked and potentially looking to permanently move to welterweight, Sonnen is not so convinced. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, the American Gangster said that this could actually be a bad thing and could potentially be a sign of the Irishman not training as much as he is trying to make people think.

    “Conor is chiseled, man. There’s clothing people that pay Conor to wear their stuff. He’s got this fantastic build. That picture of him at 190 [lbs], I can’t give those same compliments. He looked like he was extremely bloated,” Sonnen said (h/t MiddleEasy). And when somebody weighs 190 – that’s used to weighing 155, 175; what you have to wonder is how. How did you get this big? Why? The answer to me seems redundantly obvious.

    “You’re not training. You cannot train the way you need to prepare in MMA, which we’re well aware. We are well aware that Conor is not. He’s got the hurt leg and he’s not doing what he is used to. He’s not jumping rope. He’s not running. He’s not pulling the sled. He’s not sparring. We get it. He’s having to do other exercises. But that’s always important to know because that’s what Sean’s talking about.

    “If you’re not doing our sport, who gives a damn what you weigh? If your calorie deficit to intake got so far out of control, that you’re bigger than you’ve ever been, that’s not a good thing,” Sonnen added.

    The only way to know if Chael Sonnen is right is to wait and see how Conor McGregor looks when it comes time to get ready for a fight. That said, it certainly appears that the former champ-champ is actively training the best he can, at least according to his social media.

    Watch the full video with Chael Sonnen below:

  • Kevin Holland Calls Out Nick Diaz On The Heels Of Chael Sonnen’s Report

    Kevin Holland is ready to answer Chael Sonnen’s call and fight Nick Diaz.

    Sonnen recently spoke in a video on his YouTube channel, saying that he had heard rumors that the UFC was interested in booking a fight between Holland, who was forced out of his November rematch with Kyle Daukaus, and Diaz, who lost his return fight against Robbie Lawler. He also suggested that it could take place at welterweight, which is where Holland has decided to move.

    “‘Tommy from the Bronx’ just reached out to me, told me something. I said, ‘Is this public?’ And he said, ‘You can share it.’ It had something to do with Nick Diaz vs Kevin Holland. (I was) a little bit surprised by it, only because Nick Diaz is such a megastar, but what do you do with him?” Sonnen said.

    Now, it is unclear who Sonnen’s source was, but it seems that they might have been on to something. Holland posted to his Instagram shortly after Sonnen’s video. Holland shared a side-by-side photo of him and Diaz, as well as a clip of him slapping an opponent in a similar way to the slap that made the Diaz brothers famous, saying that he was down for the fight.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXOmP13J-dL/

    “Smack man smack man yeah that’s me!!!! Let’s Go BUCKO 
    #illdoit” Holland wrote.

    He spoke to MMAJunkie as well, saying that this was something that he has been wanting since before he was actually in the UFC. Moreover, he said that he and Nick Diaz had some sort of altercation, so he would like the opportunity to settle the score.

    “I been waiting to slap the slap man since I was on (Dana White’s) Contender Series,” Holland said, in a text. “We had a little run-in. I think it’s a fight the fans will want the commentators to just shut up and listen to the punches landing and our mouths flapping.”

    It is safe to say that Kevin Holland vs Nick Diaz would be an entertaining fight. It will be curious to see if this is a direction that the UFC chooses to go in or if they choose to make different matchups.

  • Chael Sonnen: Jake Paul Just Made The ‘Biggest Mistake’ Of His Career

    Jake Paul, who already beat Tyron Woodley four months ago, will be rematching him on just 12 days’ notice, which Chael Sonnen says was not a smart decision.

    Paul was supposed to box Tommy Fury in a highly-anticipated bout. Both men are undefeated in their young boxing careers and are massive social media stars, yet Fury was forced out of the scrap due to an injury. Shortly after the news broke that Fury was out of the fight, it was revealed Woodley will be stepping up on short notice and the rematch was set.

    Although Jake Paul controlled the first fight and won a decision, Woodley did have success and rocked the YouTuber badly. With that, Sonnen thinks this is a risky fight and possibly a bad idea for Paul.

    “This is the biggest mistake of Jake Paul’s short career,” Sonnen said in a YouTube video analyzing the newly-made fight (via The Mirror). “Absolutely, without question, this is the biggest risk he could possibly take. To fight Tyron Woodley – who by the way is training all the time – Jake is not getting a softball down the middle. He’s getting a very hard fight against his No. 1 rival who is completely motivated to fight and defeat him and Jake wasn’t even thinking about the guy.”

    Jake Paul
    (via Getty)

    Although Chael Sonnen believes this is a risky fight for Jake Paul, he does say this proves the social media star is a real fighter. That is due to the fact he is taking a short notice fight and letting the show go on, but it still is a risky fight.

    “Jake is willing to step in because he follows the golden rule of show business which is that the show must go on,” Sonnen added. “So when I tell you this is a huge mistake from Jake, I am right, but it’s because he is willing to make that mistake that you must accept him into the club. He doesn’t have to beat Tyron Woodley, he already did, what he does have to do is show up and show a respect to the rest of the card who is counting on that paycheque.

    “Their holidays are going to be very different if Jake is not there, Showtime [the event’s broadcaster] have taken all the risk, believed in him and set this thing up and he’s shown them respect,” Sonnen continued. “He absolutely did, and in a matter of fact he took this thing one step further and told Tyron Woodley that he’ll give him $500,000 if he can knock him out.”

    Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 goes down in Tampa on December 18 live on Showtime pay-per-view.

    Who do you think wins the rematch between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley?

  • Sonnen: Shame On UFC Welterweights For Being Scared Of Chimaev

    Chael Sonnen has his opinion on the UFC welterweights who turn down a fight with Khamzat Chimaev.

    Up and coming star Khamzat Chimaev has been quickly rising up the UFC welterweight ranks. He is looking for a fight with any possible top opponent. He has been calling them out on social media but has not gotten much response. Chael Sonnen has his ideas about the nature of the fight business and feels that perhaps Chimaev’s reputation is what’s keeping opponents from running to the cage against him.

    “There’s a lot of ways to beat a guy, but if you can do it psychologically and you never have to get out there,” Sonnen explained on his Beyond the Fight show. “Dan Henderson had a great line one time, which is Dan was in a bar with somebody, and the guy said, ‘Hey, Dan. If I get in some trouble, you know, will you walk over there, beat this guy down for me?’ And Dan simply said, ‘Why do I need to beat him down when I can stare him down?’ And that rule of life doesn’t go away.”

    Sonnen may be implying that Chimaev’s last few performances have been scaring away his opponents. Since coming to the UFC he has had four fights, all of which were finishes, two KO’s, and two submissions. In just one year, he has risen to number 11 in the rankings. Now, he is trying to call out opponents in the top five, which may be why he is not getting a response, however, Sonnen thinks he is doing the right thing.

    “You can stare a guy down, and he backs down; it is the art of war because the great generals never fire a shot,” Sonnen said. “They don’t need to. They align their troops and make the other people retreat. And if Chimaev is successfully doing that – If less than 20 minutes of action, three double-legs, a rear-naked choke, and a left hook – If that’s going to scare an entire division away in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, then shame on them. Fair play by Chimaev.”

    Sonnen was a big trash talker in his fighting days. He could almost defeat opponents before even facing them by getting in their heads. If he feels Chimaev is planning a similar sort of game plan, then he could be sitting on the sidelines for some time. However, in this day and age, money talks, and maybe the UFC will have to pay up to get a top welterweight to step in against “Borz.”

    Who do you want to see take on Khamzat Chimaev next?

  • Chael Sonnen Thinks Brock Lesnar Won Because Of Size, Not Skill

    Former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen thinks Brock Lesnar, like his old rival Anderson Silva, absolutely sucks.

    Sonnen has never been one to hold back his thoughts on MMA fighters and the latest headlines around the sport. He’s transitioned nicely from a decorated fighting career to a career in the booth, hosting multiple ESPN shows and his own podcast.

    Sonnen, like Lesnar, knows a thing or two about promotion. Lesnar is one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling and has played the role of a heel well in both the WWE and the UFC.

    But aside from his marketing skills, Sonnen doesn’t think that Lesnar amounted to much inside the Octagon. During a recent segment on his Beyond the Fight YouTube show, Sonnen said Lesnar’s success in the UFC was mostly due to his sheer size and physical gifts.

    “Nobody else talks about it,” Sonnen said. “I bring it up to try to prove a point. When you have Francis Ngannou who’s 260 pounds of steel and you put him in with Stipe Miocic who’s 230 pounds, there are 30 pounds the right way disadvantage to Stipe. Brock Lesnar does not enjoy my company. I’ve been around Brock and he’s been a gentleman. But I can tell he’d rather be anywhere else but me.

    Brock Lesnar
    Brock Lesnar

    “But one point that I make about Brock, it’s not meant to (slight) him. Brock was not a very good wrestler. That’s true. Brock never had Olympic aspirations. Brock was 265 pounds of steel. In the NCAA finals, he took on someone who weighed 220 pounds. There is a 45-pound weight discrepancy. It’s a fair point by me and it irritates Brock. But I’m right. I am right when I say it about Francis.”

    Chael Sonnen, Brock Lesnar Are Both Former NCAA Wrestling Stars

    Lesnar exceeded the expectations of many fans when he earned the UFC’s heavyweight title upon signing with the promotion. In what was seen as a sideshow originally, Lesnar developed into one of the biggest stars in the UFC in the late 2000s.

    Sonnen and Lesnar were both standout wrestling during their times in the UFC, and going all the way back to their times competing on the NCAA level. Lesnar earned the 2000 NCAA heavyweight wrestling title at Minnesota, while Sonnen enjoyed moderate success in the Pac-10 conference at Oregon.

    Lesnar and Sonnen are both retired from MMA, despite rumors that Lesnar was interested in a potential return to compete for the UFC heavyweight title. Sonnen left the fight game after his loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 in 2019.

    Do you agree with Chael Sonnen?