Chael Sonnen was one of the first fighters to use trash-talk to get attention when he was competing in the UFC from 2009-2013. But even the self-proclaimed heel was surprised at how personal issues between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor spilled into the stands at UFC 229 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
“I don’t like trash-talk,” Sonnen said Tuesday. “I try to pick opponents I want to fight and then tell people why I want to fight them. I think if there’s a reason to fight a guy you shouldn’t shy away about the reasons why. But some of this trash talk is like a yo-mama joke. If you want to fight a guy, have the courage to do it and show up on the night you promised to show up on.”
Sonnen (30-15-1) takes on Fedor Emelianenko (37-5, 1 NC) in a semifinal of the Heavyweight World Grand Prix on Saturday night at NYCB Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Former Giants defensive end Matt Mitrione (13-5) meets Ryan Bader (25-5) in the other semifinal of Bellator 207. The card will be live-streamed on the DAZN app.
Sonnen was also in Las Vegas last week doing commentary on the Nurmagomedov-McGregor fight for ESPN. Nurmagomedov retained his UFC lightweight title by forcing McGregor to tap-out in the fourth round from a rear-naked choke. Seconds later, Nurmagomedov climbed over the octagon and jumped into the crowd, trying to get at McGregor’s jiu-jitsu coach and Bellator fighter Dillon Danis. Mayhem engulfed the arena as fights broke out in the stands and in the octagon, creating a scary situation that lasted for several minutes.
Chael SonnenAP“I think it was a really big shock,” Sonnen said. “I don’t know why it happened. People have different opinions why fighting works. I think it’s just because everybody can relate to it. Everybody has some co-worker they’d like to fight if they could get away with it. We get to do it in our business. But when the [final] bell rings, you shake hands and walk away. You settle your dispute there. Sometimes you hang your head, but you walk away.”
Bader, the current Bellator light heavyweight champion, fought in the UFC from 2009-11. He said he thinks the pre-fight venom that flowed from McGregor blasting Nurmagomedov’s home nation, his religion and his family, was as uncalled for as Khabib’s subsequent post-fight actions.
“People look at us like we’re hooligans,” Bader said. “The whole thing became part of the storyline. You had the whole bus incident [at Barclays Center in April] in the promos. I was expecting that if Khabib won the fight that he was going to do something or his corner men were going to do something. It happens sometimes. Sometimes it’s entertaining, but I’d like the sport to be where it’s looked at like the other pro sports organizations like baseball and the NFL. But we have a long way to go.”
Mitrione wondered how emotions ever got to that level after the fight was over.
“Once the fight’s over, the fight’s over,” he said. “I don’t care enough about somebody else to worry about anything like that.”
Emelianenko, considered by many the greatest MMA fighter ever, didn’t see the Khabib-McGregor bout but offered some general comments.
“It’s very important to be able to control yourself and be careful in anything you say and never actually use your physical strength in public,” the Russian said. “You have to control yourself in a professional way.”
Sonnen, who fought in the UFC from 2009-13, has an even bigger beef with today’s MMA fighters, who aren’t as active as fighters of his era. McGregor was competing in the UFC for the first time in nearly two years.
“For some of us older guys who would love an opportunity to fight five or six times a month, it’s hard for us to see guys who need carrots dangled in front of them just to fight or they’re missing fights or missing weights or coming up with all kinds of excuses not to fight,” he said. “If you took the fame and money out, some of us are still going to show up. I’m going to try to set an example for the industry that you either want to do this or you don’t, and if you don’t, then get out of the way and let somebody else take your spot.”
Nurmagomedov’s purse of $2 million continues to be held by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. McGregor could face sanctions for throwing a punch at one of Nurmagomedov’s coaches during the melee in the octagon.
