On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 10, 2018, 9:57 PM]
Chael Sonnen has always been one of the most vocal figures in all of MMA. He has tended to be most vocal whenever the topic at hand was a future foe. Fedor Emelianenko was no different.
Soon after it materialized that Chael Sonnen would be facing Fedor in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals, Sonnen got a head start on trash talking Fedor, stating that Fedor participated in fixed fights.
However, Chael Sonnen also says that Fedor is the greatest heavyweight of all time. When asked to clarify what seems to be a mutually exclusive proposition: being the greatest of all time while participating in fixed fights, Sonnen was happy to clarify:
“I’ll clarify it: PRIDE was fixed,” Sonnen told MMAjunkie at the Bellator 208 open workouts “That’s not to say his fights were fixed. PRIDE was so long ago I can’t believe people are still talking about it. PRIDE had fixed fights, and that’s the way it goes. If you fix one fight your whole organization is ruined. I think it’s one of the reasons that they’re off TV and they’re out of business and they’re not doing it anymore.
“If Fedor had fixed fights – I’d have to go back and look. I don’t remember thinking Fedor was in fixed fights, I don’t remember thinking a number of those guys were in fixed fights. But they fixed fights. Period.”
One thing is for certain: Chael Sonnen has no plans to participate in any fixed fight Saturday night at Bellator 208. Sonnen has no plans of lying down for anyone in his battle with Fedor, quite the opposite:
“As soon as they say, ‘Go’ I’m going to come across the ring and I’m going to get in a fight,” Sonnen said. “I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know if I’ve ever looked forward to a fight before. I look forward to opportunities and matches and strategizing and planning and training, but the actual competitions, I am looking forward to grabbing a hold of him and seeing what happens.
“I want to see what this power is all about, this explosiveness is all about. I’ve been impressed by him watching him through my television set, but I want to be able to tell you first hand.”
Bellator 208 takes place this Saturday from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y and will air on both the Paramount Network and DAZN.
What are your thoughts on these Chael Sonnen’s clarified comments?
