There is certainly a cast of characters within the world of Mixed Martial Arts. I mean these guys punch and kick each other in the face for a living, there is bound to be a few oddities.
Out of the bunch, none is as perplexing to me as the loudmouth of MMA, Chael Sonnen.
In terms of fighting, Sonnen isn't too spectacular. He's a ground and pound, world-class wrestler who has gotten better as his career has progressed. But for the amount of trash talk that spews from his lips, you would think the guy has never lost a fight.
Quite the opposite, he has lost, a lot – his record is currently 26-11.
In Sonnen's first stint with the UFC in 2005-06, he lasted only three fights before being banished to the wasteland promotions of the sport. In those three fights, he managed only one win and it came by decision against Trevor Prangley, a UFC never-was.
Sonnen got another chance in December 2007 when World Extreme Cagefighting – an extinct promotion that was owned by Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC – signed the journeyman to compete in its middleweight division. He went 2-1 before starting his second stint in the UFC. He dropped his first fight back against submission specialist Demian Maia, before an out-of-nowhere run of three wins against some of the top middleweight's in the division.
The major issue I have with Sonnen is not in regards to his talent – which I believe he actually has an abundance of – but the way he conducts himself outside of the octagon. MMA is sport built around respect and good sportsmanship – as hard as that may be to believe for outsiders who only see two men beating each other senseless – and Sonnen has made a name for himself by acting in every way contrary to those two ideals.
I love guys that can sell fights, don't get me wrong. Half of the excitement of a fight is when two guys don't like each other, and the fights are usually more interesting when bad blood is involved. But, like in any other sport, to blatantly disrespect a person or team that's been to the mountaintop when you yourself have failed every time you got to the big game, just seems moronic to me.
That's right, Sonnen has fought for the WEC and the UFC middleweight title, and lost, both times. But you would have never known that by just listening to him flap his gums. I've never seen a more cocky, arrogant or misguided athlete let the verbal vomit flow like this guy. It just so happens that he's now starting to back it up, sort of.
Sonnen's biggest fight came in August of 2010 when he faced off against arguably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world Anderson Silva. The lead up to this fight took on a life of its own, and because of the vehement hatred between the two men, the championship bout was one of the most anticipated fights in MMA history – and Sonnen dominated.
That is, for most of the five rounds of the fight.
It was then that Silva – undefeated in his UFC career and the promotion record holder for most consecutive title defenses (9) – converted one of the most unbelievable comeback wins in UFC history by catching Sonnen in a triangle armbar to tap out and shut up the big mouth.
Or at least you'd think that would have shut him up. After all, since then we have learned that Silva had injured ribs in the fight and Sonnen tested positive for an elevated testosterone level, which is illegal. He also pled guilty to money laundering in January of this year, stemming from mortgage fraud.
What a stand up guy, huh?
Anderson Silva is one of the most prolific and successful MMA fighters of all time. I don't care what you say, what your feelings are on him personally or his fighting style, that fact is undisputable. So excuse me for having an issue with Sonnen calling him out after his win on Saturday night.
"Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck," Sonnen said immediately following his win against Brian Stann. "I'm calling you out Silva, but we're upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division, you beat me I will leave the UFC forever."
You're telling the guy that beat you that he sucks and you're expecting to proceed to dictate terms of a rematch with the most storied champion in UFC history? Get out of here.
At this point, let's put Sonnen and Silva on The Ultimate Fighter TV show as coaches, and let's have Sonnen do what he does best, talk. He can gab away for 12 episodes and when Silva beats him again – it's inevitable folks – we never have to listen to him again.
As my brother-in-law suggested to me following the fight, Sonnen can move over to World Wrestling Entertainment. I'm sure his talents can be better utilized in the world of the fake and scripted. It's what he does best anyway.
In the meantime Chael, if you do get your rematch with "The Spider," I would suggest that you spend a bit more time training your skills in the octagon and less time on your skills on the microphone. Because unfortunately for you, talking the best smack won't win you any fights, but it will get you embarrassed, again.
Email: matthew.parrino@ubspectrum.com
