Prior to stepping inside the cage to face one another, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson offered to pay Chael Sonnen $10,000 for each successful takedown Sonnen scored at Bellator 192.
After three rounds and 15 minutes, Sonnen was declared the winner in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. Along the way, he converted on three takedowns, meaning Jackson owed him $30,000.
But Sonnen only wants an actual check from the former UFC light heavyweight champion. And he doesn’t plan to cash it.
“We’ll see if he’s a man of honor,” Sonnen said (thanks to MMAjunkie for the quote). “We did shake on that. But I will tell you, I won’t cash his check. But I expect him to hand me one. What I do with it is my business, but I will tell you I won’t cash that check.”
Despite giving up over 30 pounds to Jackson, Sonnen – a former collegiate wrestler – was able to use his skills and overpower his opponent.
“I’ve got some sparring partners that are big, but you know, they’re not as good as ‘Rampage.’ They’re not as strong as ‘Rampage.’ So yeah, I learned a lot in there, and I’ve got to get better,” he said. “I’ve got to make some changes. I don’t know that I’ll try to get stronger, but some of my movements have to be different, my angles have to be different. But I didn’t know how else to do it. I had to jump in there. The date was set. The contract was signed.”
Sonnen will meet the winner of Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir later this year assuming no changes are made or alternates used.
