Middleweights Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping fight at tonight's UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago, Illinois' United Center. Despite a relatively restrained build to the fight by the standards of these two outspoken athletes, the tension is definitely building as seen in this video after yesterday's weigh-ins.
Sonnen has been wearing a fake UFC belt he acquired somewhere and claiming to be the real champion. Bisping has been outspoken about Sonnen's use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and has claimed Sonnen needs it because he has only one testicle.
The winner of the #1 contender's bout is expected to face middleweight champ Anderson Silva this summer in Brazil in what the UFC hopes will be their first stadium show in that country.
From Fuel TV:
UFC Tonight's Ariel Helwani nearly gets caught in the cross-fire. Can Sonnen and Bisping back up their smack talk in the Octagon at UFC on FOX: Evans vs. Davis? At least Bisping will never take away Chael's fake belt!
0 recs | 89 comments
Now...this whole 'im not even gonna answer questions im just gonna be 'funny'' thing is starting to annoy me.
CVD - January 28, 2012
+1
SandboxKing - January 28, 2012
logged in to say the same thing
i get the feeling that these guys like each other and they’re only forcing the persona to maintain an image.
jthin - January 28, 2012
I still find it much better than those standard answers fighters give to questions and the cornyness of this video at least made me lol
Mizu - January 28, 2012
Yeah, after a person follows the sport awhile and gets to know fighters, camps,etc..alot of the interviews get redundant; especially pre\ fight
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
exactly this
its like in bull durham when costner teaches nuke laloosh the interview formula
milk72 - January 28, 2012
Yes
A Bull Durham reference. I like it
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
He's just now starting to annoy you?!
Lucky asshole.
cager - January 28, 2012
Before it never seemed like Chael was putting on an act
But now it seems like that’s all he’s doing. And it’s become a boring & repetitive act.
YPG - January 28, 2012
if you were a steroid-abusing compulsive liar who had never gone through puberty and recently was convicted of mortgage fraud, you’d probably avoid answering questions too.
Stanlee - January 28, 2012
Those were flared tensions? Hm… the world’s a changin.
John Danaher's Hair - January 28, 2012
Bob Dylan warned us
LRaunThaDamaja - January 28, 2012 via mobile
Beat me to it
“The times are a changin”
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Bob Dylan once said
The times they are a changin. Ron Burgundy had never heard that saying.
T.C. Engel - January 28, 2012
I’m glad my captain is so well versed in the ways of Anchorman.
BROCKLESNAR!!!!! - January 28, 2012
Chael's cheekbones are looking James Irvin at 185ish.............
jacksiwel - January 28, 2012
Yeah he looked small. im sure hell be fine
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
As good as any WWE interview i ever saw
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
yea right?
dank7 - January 28, 2012
I understand where Sonnen’s coming from as he took a lot from pro wrestling interviews, but it didn’t come off as authentic to me in this interview. Sonnen’s responses came across as rehearsed lines to me.
chrisbboy82 - January 28, 2012
yep, i agree. As if they discussed doing it beforehand.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Although it seemed staged, at least they can stand beside each other like professionals without acting crazy and giving mainstream media reasons to shit on mma as a barbaric sport.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Then feast your eyes on the insansity that was the ultimate warior.
Seriously, he cray cray.
Balrog - January 28, 2012
point heeded
I was speaking sarcastically in the fact it was so “staged”
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
The Ultimate Warrior
was a bad-ass!
TorQus - January 28, 2012
Belive it!..... Bud!
HolleAufRadern - January 28, 2012
As good as the WWE? That IS impressive.
uwcb - January 28, 2012
I just don't see how Bisping can win this.
Chael has a granite chin, a very high threshold for pain, and rarely loses decisions anymore. Bisping probably needs to win by sub, which is not going to happen, or by cutting Chael since Chael is a serious bleeder.
Chael will be able to take Bisping down at will, pass guards, choke, G&P, whatever.
IKiIIed007 - January 28, 2012
No-one seen how Ortiz could beat Bader
But it happened.
YPG - January 28, 2012
Bader hadn’t proven his chin is able to take the kind of shots that Chael did against Marquardt and Silva.
Having said that, nobody really knows how likely it is that Bisping catches Chael in a sub. That’s why Bisping is +300 and not +800.
paythefighters - January 28, 2012
Jon Fitch had a granite chin to and look what just happened to him.
Anyone can go out if you tag that chin in the right spot (Edgar/Maynard 3)
Meek Mill - January 28, 2012
Too little too late... These guys should have been selling this fight hard since the day they signed the contract... Sure it was short notice but it's on network tv there was plenty of time to draw mores attention to the card
I
RECE ROCK - January 28, 2012 via mobile
Please please please
Someone get Shonie Carter to ref this fight…
cager - January 28, 2012
As though the ref is going to do anything other than tell them to start, and stop them at the end of each round
YPG - January 28, 2012
You've clearly never seen Shonie Carter Ref
KJ Gould - January 28, 2012
Lol
was thinking the same
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Links to any gifs?
Anyone?
YPG - January 28, 2012
Youtube search the "double knockout" to see Carter losing his mind
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRl3s9K6R8A
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Great patter by Chael
really hitting the mark with those witty, wry and cutting barbs.
Is denial, disallusionment and compulsive lying not a clear indicator of mental illness.
“Undefeated”, seriousely??
Jaspawokki - January 28, 2012
Uncomfortable and awkward.
Let’s get to the fight. This shit doesn’t hype me, just makes me feel like a boob for watching it.
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
Here are my thoughts
I am not particulary sensitive towards this whole charade with scripted lines and WWE-esqueness that Chael Sonnen himself started intergrating into mixed martial arts.
That said, i fully understand the people who bring forth the argument that “If i wanted to see over-the-top, scripted animosity between two athletes i would most likely watch royal rumble to fill that need.”
One of the aspects of MMA that really clicks with me is actually that it’s – pardon the cliché, as real as it gets – That’s the same reason i enjoy Dana’s backstage video blogs where you can see raw emotions displayed in the form of relief or grief.
I am in favour of hyping fights, but this is feels nothing but out-of-place to me.
It’s not like my day is ruined because Chael Sonnen is acting outside the cage, but i would never like to see what that makes the sport so raw and exciting diminshed because of the fact that acting like a clown in the build-up makes you more money.
Not sure if i managed to get my point across like how i wanted to – but i tried.
sanfrecce - January 28, 2012
good point
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
+1
People like Chael for his “best of the best” ACT yet dislike Bisping for being the same (if less articulate) way in real life.
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
The only difference is
Bisping actually believes he is the best of the best and Sonnen is just putting on this act
Mjub - January 28, 2012
Chael's just getting repetitive and even more delusional than before
He’s gone from having some funny comments to just spouting out rubbish that has literally no effect and IMO just makes him look stupid.
YPG - January 28, 2012
Repetitive yeah
but delusional? You realise it’s an act, right? One he might believe in order to sell it, but it is an act. There’s no delusion at play.
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
Of course it's an act, but it used to be a semi-believable act
Now it’s just incoherent rambling about being unbeaten.
YPG - January 28, 2012
We should be past the point where we still ask ourselves if it’s an act or not. It’s an act, everyone knows it and it’s not a secret. At this point it’s more about who’s in favor of the act and who’s not?
Chael Sonnen is occasionally hilarious and he definitely draws a lot of attention like we all know. Question is; Would you like to see every single fighter on the UFC roster employ the same marketing strategy as Chael Sonnen? Is that why we watch the sport? Should this become the norm?
That’s theoretically of course since most people obviously do not have it in them to promote fights like Sonnen, but i would rather die than watch them all try. ^^
sanfrecce - January 28, 2012
Calling this “heated” kind of plays right into Chael’s pro-wrestling angle, jussayin. Though Chael does seem to be getting on Bisping’s nerves by being so nonsensical, maybe that’s his plan.
Amsterdaam - January 28, 2012
this is heated?
i’m kind of disappointed, actually.
dr. ransom - January 28, 2012
SMIRK
my favorite part of these interviews is Ariel’s face.
mollcutpurse - January 28, 2012
When he's alone at night looking at himself in the mirror his face tear streaked
realising he actually wants to work in WWE and not MMA broadcasting?
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
this is the interview that reaffirmed that thought for him.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
why would anyone want to work in WWE?
WWE seems inexplicably popular to me. to everyone in person I know it is a big joke. (note: I don’t live in the US.)
mollcutpurse - January 28, 2012
If you’ve ever watch Helwani’s MMA Hour you’d know that he is a fan of WWE.
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
ah!
no I’ve only watched his interviews on youtube, and, admittedly, a large percentage of those were just his interviews with Rampage. WHICH MUST NOT BE MISSED.
thank you for explaining :)
mollcutpurse - January 28, 2012
My post was a joke though.. No way would Helwani really want to work for something fake and lowbrow like WWE even if he is a fan :)
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
Okay that is how i read it.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
haha, sorry for ruining your joke with my ignorance and literalistic outrage then!
mollcutpurse - January 28, 2012
no worries man. Where outside the US are u? if you dont mind me askin.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Amsterdam
mollcutpurse - January 28, 2012
Cool
Yeah there are/is alot of diehard pro wrestlin fans in the states. It seems to me people here either really like it and follow it closely or dont care for it at all. Not much of an in between. It used to get bashed but people got used to it. it is fake but they are real athletes and they do take real punishment. I watched it as a kid, but dont follow it anymore.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
on a different note
Are you a fan of Marloes? and/or Overeem
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Oh cool,
a fellow Amsterdamian.
Mizu - January 28, 2012
people give everyone too much credit. If they came along offering more money than whoever is writing his checks these days, he’d do it.
I don’t know why people look at pro wrestling as this big major thing, it’s a job. Plenty of sports journalist types have gone back and forth from legit sports to wrestling and back.
Phildo - January 28, 2012
^This is true
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
We were joking :)
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
well i was, anyway
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Chael throwin out rehersed, canned, bs...saying nothing
Bisping is at least answering questions and saying something.
warren305 - January 28, 2012
Undefeated LOL
The guy has been tapped more times than Jenna Jameson.
taptomyarmbar - January 28, 2012
That was strange...
That was pure Pro-Rasslin. I don’t ever recall seeing an interview where both UFC fighters were there like that. It looked very set up.
Naztuu - January 28, 2012
I Dont recall an interview like that around weign in time
Although it seemed staged, at least they can stand beside each other like professionals without acting crazy and giving mainstream media reasons to shit on mma as a barbaric sport.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
i said mainstream media but i meant anybody. I’m just glad they could be cordial and professional even if it was an act or whatever. We got to start somewhere I suppose
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
Most assume Chael is merely using this bizarre alter-ego to hype the fight, gain notoriety, and make himself some extra cash. I’m sure that’s a consideration of his, but I think most of it is to help him get inside the ring and perform there. A normal person feels pressure — is nervous anticipating the herculean task that is defeating another incredibly tough and skilled fighter with millions tuning in, including those he cares most about. I believe it’s very possible that he doubts the strength of his own innate character to some degree and therefore must rely on a character that he’s created to take him confidently into the fight and perhaps through it. When the moment has long passed and the anxiety has gone, I’m sure Chael Sonnen would be unrecognizable to those of us who have sat through his recent performances in the ring and out. He does this stuff (Ali did as well) because it is absolutely necessary. If you look back a little way, he’s been a completely different fighter since this over-the-top character has emerged.
Charlie Custer - January 28, 2012
totally
alter egos for confidence are pretty common for performers of every stripe. it makes sense for Chael to have created his own ‘Sasha Fierce’.
mollcutpurse - January 28, 2012
Did You Ever Wonder?
If Chael is just using metaphysical visualization techniques like holding a fake belt, and believing that he is undefeated ala Jon Jones prior to fighting Shogun where he was signing pictures of himself as the new champ…worked for Jon regardless if the many cynics who visit this site didn’t have belief because it is a technique they haven’t quite grasped at this stage of their own evolution…you know how cynics are.
CallMeDaddy - January 28, 2012
I see your point, but you cant push the visualizations you have for yourself onto people and expect them to accept something that is not a tangible reality. A pre med student can’t give out business cards saying he’s a doctor.
Harley hooper - January 28, 2012
I imagine Chael rehearsing those lines in front of a mirror just like Traivs Bickle in Taxi Driver.
Although it puts money in his pocket, it’s fucking sad, prostitution like sad.
dancingChicken - January 28, 2012
I think he’s enough of a natural at talking to not have to practice it.
His delivery is good.
UncleMax - January 28, 2012
This interview came off a bit too WWE for my liking.
I was expecting somebody to get nailed by a steel chair!!
@KatanaClothing - January 28, 2012
yeah that was weird
chael doesnt vibe well with this kind of interview i guess
his best performances are when he gets to use the questioner as a cipher to spit ridiculous monologues
not trading one line answers with an opponent
Cunny - January 28, 2012
Good times – trying something new — I like it.
dribblebib - January 28, 2012
Sonnen’s overacting on the one line about the clear conscience made me lmao.
Bolshevik - January 28, 2012
All Im getting from this is that Chael is a very sad person. It would appear that he sits in front of a mirror with his fake belt doing the worst thing a person can do, lie to themselves. He really should go and join the WWE he could get a ‘real belt’ and be undefeated like the undertaker.
Also I am glad other people are starting to get tired of his routine.
the jewish conquistador - January 28, 2012
Its funny how the media says sonnen has become a parody of himself yet when he was being honest saying how he liked bisping the media was freaking out saying he was being too nice and needed to hype the fight lol.
Just like how the “old” brock lesnar who insulted sponsers and climbed on top of his wife was an outrage according to the media yet when he was replaced by the newer nicer lesnar he was “too boring” etc.
The_Devil_You_Know - January 28, 2012
Personally I think sonnen gets a huge kick out of this and is enjoying his life and just having fun.
The_Devil_You_Know - January 28, 2012
It only works...
If he can win his fights. If Chael loses tonight he retires from the sport. Mid 30’s with a loss to can Bisping doesn’t look too good…
TriangleChoke99 - January 28, 2012
As a known Chael hater...
…the cigarette warning thing he said was funny as can be.
Jonathan. - January 28, 2012
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