Chael Sonnen – UFC Fighter Profile

UFC Fighter Profiles

Chael Sonnen – MMA Stats
Matches: 35
Wins: 24
Losses: 10

Wins by Knockout: 7
Wins by Submission: 3
Wins by Decision: 14

Losses by Knockout: 2
Losses by Submission: 7
Losses by Decision: 1

Chael Sonnen was born April 3, 1977 as Chael Patrick Sonnen. He is an American UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter. Sonnen is currently classified as a middle-weight UFC contendor. One of Chael’s most notable victories was against WEC Champion Paulo Filho, this being Filho’s only loss in 21 fights.
Chael Sonnen University of Oregon
Chael Sonnen grew up to attend the University of Oregon, where he was an All American wrestler in the NCAA Division I. He is a two-time University National Champion in Greco Roman, and was a USA Olympic wrestling team alternate.

Sonnen is a lot more than a MMA / UFC fighter. He is a decorated real estate salesman and even dipped his feet into the republican political arena when he ran for Oregon’s House District 37 as State Representative. However, Sonnen dropped out of the race on June 16, 2010.

Chael Sonnen has defeated a series of incredible opponents, including Nate Marquardt (former King of Pancrase), Jason Miller (former ICON Sport Champion), Dan Miller (former IFL champion), Trevor Prangley (former Bodog Fight champion), Yoshin Okami and former WEC champions Jason Lambert and Paulo Fihlo.
Sonnen VS Paulo

Sonnen’s history with Paulo is one of mixed controversy. They were first scheduled to face off in December of 2007, a fight that ended in the referee declaring Fihlo the victor by Sonnen’s submission. However, Sonnen never officially tapped out. The referee said Sonnen verbally requested submission, but Sonnen himself stated that he continually stressed “No” to the referee when asked if he wanted to end the fight. Chael did concede that the referee’s decision was fair, though he still disagreed with his verbal submission.

The two WEC/MMA fighters were scheduled for a rematch on March 26, 2008. Fihlo checked himself into a rehabilitation center that wiped the match off the slate. Sonnen instead faced WEC middleweight contender Bryan Baker, and easily won by rule after three rounds. Sonnen and Fihlo would finally meet for a rematch in November of 2008, but the fight seemed strange. Fihlo was not himself, seeming more distracted than anything else. It didn’t help that he weighed in at 7 pounds over the 185 limit, omitting Sonnen’s chance to rematch for the WEC title. When it was over, though, fihlo announced he would ship the title belt to Sonnen.

Sonnen was transferred back to the UFC division where he lost his first UFC fight since UFC 60. He competed in UFC 95 and lost to a triangle choke hold from Demian Maia. At UFC 98, Sonnen triumphed over Dan Miller after taking the place of Yoshin Okami, who tore a ligament in training. Sonnen lost 36 pounds in the next 22 days in order to compete. Incidently, Chael’s very next fight, at UFC 104, was against his replacee Yoshin Okami, where he won by unanimous decision.
Sonnen vs Marquadt

At UFC 109, Sonnen faced Nate Marquadt. It was the hardest battle of Chael’s career, lasting the full three rounds. In the first and third round, Marquadt had Sonnen in a Guillotine Choke, both of which Chael miraculously escaped from. Sonnen said later that the choke was “one of the most horrible experiences of my life…”

The put set Sonnen in line to fight for the UFC Middlewieght Championship. In anticipation of the chance, he stated “I want 12 pounds of gold around my waist”. He’ll finally get that chance on august 7, 2010 when Chael Sonnen is scheduled to face off against Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 17.

Chael Sonnen