Chael Sonnen Ends Retirement, Returns to MMA with Bellator
Will he take on fellow former UFC bad boy Tito Ortiz?
Nearly three years since his last fight, one of the UFC’s biggest personalities is finally making a comeback. But Chael Sonnen’s next MMA bout will not be with the promotion he’s been wedded to since 2009. Instead, it’ll be with Bellator, the UFC rival that just signed him to a multi-year deal.
The Rulers Back.
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) September 16, 2016
“I want to fight right now, and I don’t fight in any weight division,” Sonnen said in an interview the AP. “I fight at gangster weight. Wherever the competition is, I will show up.”
Sonnen’s long UFC layoff is partially due to a two-year suspension, which he just finished serving, from the Nevada Athletic Commission. The suspension was the result of two failed drug tests in the summer of 2014, which revealed that Sonnen was using HGH and clomiphene, among other drugs. Clomiphene is an estrogen inhibitor taken after steroid cycles to reduce boob growth.
After his suspension was handed down, Sonnen announced his retirement, but now that he’s served it, he’s ready to fight.
“I’m a heel. Heels lie,” he told the AP when asked about his retirement.
While Bellator is clearly getting an entertaining personality in Sonnen, it’s a lot less clear what kind of fighter they’ve just signed. Sonnen has had his moments, but the guy’s 39 now and he’s spent the last two years behind a podcasting mic.
Even when he was getting into the cage a few years back, he wasn’t winning. Sonnen is 1-3 in his last four fights, which includes two first round TKOs and one in the second.
Still, we have a feeling MMA fans will tune into his comeback fight—especially if its against fellow former UFC bad boy Tito Ortiz, as has been rumored.
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