April 28, 2013, What is next for Chael Sonnen? column for MMA-Insider.com
John Moorehouse posted on Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 7:12 PM in UFC
NEWARK, N.J.—Chael Sonnen did not need to utter a word.
His face told you the story.
A small hematoma grew on the right side of his head. A thin, singular strip of petroleum jelly ran down his nose.
Bruises dotted his face.
This was a man who had been in a fight.
And lost decisively.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship opens for business on Sunday with Jon Jones still as its Light Heavyweight Champion after he TKOed Sonnen at 4:33 of the first round of their title fight Saturday night at Newark, N.J.’s Prudential Center.
“I’ve only been beat up twice,” Sonnen said after he fell to 28-13-1 [6-6 in the UFC] as a professional. “And that was number two.”
The devastation was as quick as it was predictable. Jones was a -750 favorite leading into the fight and with good reason. Jones entered the match with a 17-1 [11-1 in the UFC] record and had won eight fights in a row, including four successful title defenses.
Last night, in front of 15,227, Jones beat Sonnen at his own game.
The champion brought the fight to the challenger, and the two began jockeying for position. It was not long before the 25-year old Jones overpowered the 36-year old Sonnen. Three times Jones wrestled Sonnen to the canvas. After the third takedown, Jones unleashed a flurry of punches before the fight was stopped.
“He was in on my leg before I knew it. I don’t think I’ve been taken down three times in my career. [He] took me down three times in one round,” Sonnen said.
“He’s a lot better than I thought. He’s the best fighter that I’ve ever fought.”
Better than Anderson Silva?
“Jon’s better,” Sonnen said. “The last thing I want to do is disparage Anderson Silva but it’s tough for me. I whipped him for 30 minutes. He whipped me for less than 30 seconds. I whipped Jon for zero seconds and he whipped me the entire fight.”
The question for both is what’s next. The rivalry between Sonnen and Jones, which began after UFC 151 was cancelled and carried over to The Ultimate Fighter reality show where the two coached, is over.
Jones talked about a potential fight against Alexander Gustafsson during the post-fight press conference. Earlier in the week Jones said he wanted to break Tito Ortiz’s record for most successful title defenses in light heavyweight division history before taking on superfights and making the move to the heavyweight division.
While Jones can look forward to fights, Sonnen is at the point where he has to inspect the state of his career. He seems disinclined to accept fights that don’t lead to title shots at 185 and/or 205 pounds.
“I’m definitely not,” Sonnen said when asked if he was considering announcing his retirement. “What are you going to do? I lost to two guys, one much younger. What are you going to do, put me with Wanderlei Silva? I don’t know who else I’m supposed to beat around here.”
What Sonnen does have going for him is that he is a highly regarded studio analyst on UFC Tonight. UFC President Dana White told reporters at Thursday’s media session at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden that Fox executives “love” the loquacious Sonnen.
“I like to fight but I love this business,” Sonnen said. “There are so many different opportunities that are out there now that weren’t here a number of years ago. Broadcasting is one of them.
“You look at Dana as the world’s greatest promoter but you forget he produces five TV shows. He’s also in gaming—we just signed a deal with EAS. What we do with the magazine and the fact that it’s booming. He’s never once promoted it from behind this counter. Our magazine is in multiple countries and in every state in the country. There [are] a lot of things I’d like to do and the magazine is one of the things that has my interest. So as far as being done with the company, I love this company but as far as getting in the ring, that comes to an end at some point. I am by no means saying that happened tonight but at some point it comes to an end and I will find something else for myself to do. With the business.”
You can follow Denis Gorman on Twitter at @DenisGorman
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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 1:47 AM
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