Chael Sonnen is reportedly making his return to the canvas.
Earlier this week, Gable Steveson withdrew from his scheduled grappling showdown against Craig Jones in the main event of CJI 2 this Sunday at the Thomas & Mack Center, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, due to a turf toe injury.
However, on Tuesday, Sonnen claimed on his YouTube channel that he had spoken with Jones and agreed to step in on short notice to face him this weekend, replacing the Olympic gold medalist.
On Thursday, combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani verified the former UFC light heavyweight challenger's claims, reporting that Sonnen will indeed face the Australian grappling star. Helwani noted that “The Bad Guy” will be undertaking a whirlwind schedule, calling the first Real American Freestyle Wrestling event in Cleveland on Saturday before hopping on an early Sunday flight to Las Vegas to compete at CJI 2 that same evening.
Have Chael Sonnen And Craig Jones Competed Against Each Other Before?
Chael Sonnen and Craig Jones have a history on the mats, dating back to September 2017 when the BJJ champion secured a heel hook submission over Sonnen at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Openweight tournament.
Jones was last seen in action at CJI 1 in August 2024, submitting Gabi Garcia with a first-round rear-naked choke. His most recent defeat came in September 2022, when he narrowly lost on points to Kaynan Duarte at ADCC.
Meanwhile, Sonnen last competed in an exhibition boxing match against longtime UFC rival Anderson Silva in June 2024, which ended in a draw. “The Bad Guy” retired from MMA with a professional record of 30-18-1, concluding his career with a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 in June 2019.
