Nearly 11 years removed from his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 159, Chael Sonnen had to reflect.
‘The American Gangster’ had some massive rivals in his MMA career. Naturally, fans think of his fights with Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and more, when they think of Chael Sonnen. However, the former UFC title challenger was also in a high-profile feud with Jon Jones a decade ago.
The two coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter against each other after Chael Sonnen lost his rematch to Anderson Silva. The two were booked to face off at UFC 159, on April 27th, 2013. Entering the bout Jon Jones was a massive betting favorite, and it looked that way inside the octagon.
It took less than one round for Jon Jones to dispatch of the brash trash talker. In the decade since the two have fought, their rivalry has only grown bigger. While Chael Sonnen is retired, the former UFC title challenger has often taken shots at ‘Bones’ on his YouTube channel. Jones has also bashed his rival various times on social media in the years since their fight as well.
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Chael Sonnen reflects on his loss to Jon Jones on the 11th anniversary of UFC 159
Chael Sonnen discussed the bout on a recent edition of his ‘Good Guy, Bad Guy’ Podcast with Daniel Cormier. ‘DC’ mentioned that the 11th anniversary of UFC 159 was this week, and asked the Hall of Famer his thoughts. There, Sonnen remarked that despite being on a lot of juice, he was no match for Jon Jones.
“What I remember about that night, is that I thought I could beat him.” Chael Sonnen stated on the podcast, when asked about the anniversary of his fight with Jon Jones. “I had gone through The Ultimate Fighter with him and most most athletes that are really good, aren’t really tough. Most athletes that are really tough, aren’t really good… When I had done The Ultimate Fighter with Jon Jones I trained twice a day, every day till I was dripping sweat and was absolutely exhausted. He never broke a sweat a single time.”
He continued, “I thought I could outwork him. We locked up at the beginning of that fight, and you have got to understand. For this fight, it was my first time at 205 pounds, I had a higher juice concentrate than Tropicana! He pushed me across that octagon like a Volvo into a Mack truck, and I started looking for a way out. That’s just the truth.”
“It was like being locked in a cage with a bear, and I’m glad it’s over.” Chael Sonnen concluded. “That’s the only fight or competition that I have ever lost where I did not want a rematch. I did not need a rematch. we’re good. You have proved your point young man.”
What do you make of these comments from Chael Sonnen? Did you believe he could defeat Jon Jones prior to UFC 159?
