Was Chael Sonnen ever champion in UFC? Know about fight legend’s MMA record
Chael Sonnen is one of the prominent names in the UFC. As such, know all about his MMA career and championship dreams.
Chael Sonnen (via LinkedIn)
Chael Sonnen is one of the most well-known and popular MMA personalities. The former UFC fighter currently works as an MMA analyst and has a well-grown YouTube channel with 1.2 million subscribers. However, what many contemporary MMA fans don’t know about is the MMA accomplishments of the UFC legend. As such, read along to know all about Chael Sonnen’s UFC/MMA record and importantly, whether he was a champion.
Right from a young age, Chael Sonnen took an active interest in combat Sports. He started training in wrestling at the age of nine and it helped him as his core background for MMA. The trash-talker soon stacked up wrestling accolades and earned the All-American status. As such, he became one of the prominent wrestlers in the UFC.
Chael Sonnen entered the world of mixed martial arts at 20 years of age. He debuted in 1997 and won the fight via. unanimous decision. After racking up regional victories, the All-American fought at the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and debuted in the UFC in 2005.
Chael Sonnen’s MMA/UFC record
Making his UFC debut in the Light Heavyweight division, things didn’t go on his side. He lost the bout to Renato Sobral via. submission. He then, cut down to middleweight. But what followed was a turbulent road for Sonnen. He only won one fight in the promotion and lost three of them. With grit, Chael Sonnen put on a three-fight win streak and challenged for the middleweight title against the long-reigning champion Anderson Silva.
Sonnen had a lengthy MMA career, spanning over two decades. As such, he has fought the best of the best and amassed a humongous record of 30-17-1. Apart from his record, ‘The American Gangster’ stood out with his play with the words. As such, he became one of the pioneers of trash-talk in the UFC. This helped him with mind games which earned him an edge over his opponents. However, was it helpful for him to attain the champion status?
After a four-round dominance against Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen was on the verge of producing a huge upset. However, ‘The Spider’ caught Sonnen with an arm-bar triangle in the fifth round to seal the deal. But, this didn’t let him lose sight of the championship. Having promised his dad that he would win a world championship, Sonnen pressed forward. His rivalry with Silva is still one of the most talked about even after years of retirement.
Was Chael Sonnen a champion?
After his heartbreaking loss to Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen rematched the legend after winning two fights against Brian Stann and Michael Bisping. However, Sonnen lost to the middleweight champion via knockout. Then, he talked himself through to a light-heavyweight championship with the contemporary ‘Greatest of All-Time’ Jon Jones. But, the result was the same – he lost via knockout.
Later, ‘The American Gangster’ returned to the winning column and won his fight against Mauricio Rua. But he suffered a brutal loss in his next bout to Rashad Evans and retired from the UFC in 2013. With dreams of becoming a world champion, he made a comeback in 2017 – This time in Bellator. But, he once again missed the mark to become a champion and called it quits for one last time after going 2-3 in the promotion.
Sonnen retired from professional fighting after his loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222. Throughout his MMA career, Sonnen has fought some legendary opponents including Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, and more. He has a UFC record of 7 wins and 7 losses and a total MMA record of 30-17-1. Despite a noteworthy career, Sonnen’s only worry was not keeping his promise of becoming a world champion to his dad.
MMA record: 30-17-1, UFC Record: 7-7.
He challenged for the UFC title three times but didn’t attain UFC gold.
He predominantly fought at Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight.
In case you missed it:
- Amanda Ribas Net Worth 2024: How rich is UFC flyweight star?
- Tai Tuivasa losses: How many fights has Australian fan-favorite heavyweight lost in a row?
Kaviarasu K
(269 Articles Published)