Chael Sonnen: I'm fighting Jon Jones on September 22nd
Posted on August 28, 2012, 07:41 AM by Anton Gurevich
Two days after Vitor Belfort stepped in to face Jon Jones at UFC 152, former two-time UFC Middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen is still campaigning to test his skills against the champ. Speaking on ESPN Radio, Chael Sonnen declared he will be fighting Jon Jones on September 22nd, since Vitor Belfort is well-known for not showing up to fights:
“I’ve got an agreement to fight a gentleman named Forrest Griffin on December 29th but I don’t know. Jon Jones has a date on September 22nd and right now he’s fighting Vitor Belfort. Vitor never shows up, Vitor has pulled out of way more fights than he has ever shown up for so if I had to guess you’ll be seeing me fight Jon Jones on September 22nd”
Sonnen also made it clear that he was unaware of Dan Henderson's knee injury, despite the fact that "Hendo" is a "close friend". According to Sonnen, Dana White knew he called the right guy, but Jon Jones decided to decline the fight. Sonnen once again criticized Jones, and his "mindboggling" decision, claiming that the whole short notice thing doesn't apply to someone who had a 10-week training camp:
"I think Dana just knew that he called the right guy. It’s just a matter of that. It was a situation where we could help each other. (Host: Dana called you, you didn’t volunteer?) No I didn’t know about it. Dan Henderson is a personal friend, very close and he did not say a word to me. I learned about this when everyone else did. [...] I hear what their side said and it was just mindboggling for me because it has never happened. He was within his rights to do it. Let’s not forget Jones had an agreement and he was ready to honor his side of the agreement but the agreement changed. The new deal he was presented with he didn’t agree to. That was still a surprise though. That’s just simply never happened, especially when you’re the champion. This whole short notice routine, that doesn’t apply to a guy that is coming off a ten week training camp. The short notice routine is for the guy that was sitting at home or had no idea there was a fight coming up. The change in opponent doesn’t count, it’s the change in the fight. If you don’t know there’s a fight then they notice. It didn’t make sense. Nothing added up that he pulled out. I don’t know. He doesn’t need to be scared of anybody."
Ultimate Fighting Championship recently revealed the official poster for UFC 152, featuring Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort, Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez, and Brian Stann vs. Michael Bisping. The event will take place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Comments
If Vitor does indeed pull out, things will be very interesting!
I think Dana would have a stroke if Vitor pulled out
Lions and Tigers and Chaels, oh my.
Vitor should take one more fight at 205, and punch Chael loud mouth.
Vitor will pull it out anyway.
That is weak in deed, I am 34 old man with a college degree and I've written something like this...now I will weak myself.
Dana called him, at least I thought that Chael stepped in and offered himself to fight Jon, shame on you Dana, to disvalidate the belt like this.
Do you believe anything you hear? It's Chael Sonnen after all.
"Invalidate"
Everything*
Well, I am thinking what Dana will eventually say, that he didn't lie about not giving Chael a title shot if he gets past Forrest, he gave him the shot before, so everything is fine.
Dana " double speak' White ... always true to his word haha
"This whole short notice routine, that doesn’t apply to a guy that is coming off a ten week training camp. The short notice routine is for the guy that was sitting at home or had no idea there was a fight coming up."
Aint that the truth!!!!
Oh I forgot...
Erly bur get da werm ha! Facepolm
Vitor no come, to scry ha! Shael fight, KO 2st roud. Ha! Facepolm
ha! I funeed yoo! ha! facepolm=)
Is that you Gsp?
Is it still called UFC 152?
"If anyone asks you bout Chael Sonnen. You tell them that guys gotta higher juice concentrate then Tropicana"
Minutemade is better with Vodka
Dan gets hurt. Chael agrees to fight Jon in 8 days. Jon declines. White and Fertitta schedule a fight with Jones and Machida (after throwing a temper tantrum). Machida declines. So then they ask Belfort (after a few LHWs who decline) instead of the guy who offered to fight him in the first place.
Does this make absolutely no sense to anybody else?
they will squeeze every penny out of Chael's ability to hype this mismatch into oblivion
Ariel mentions this in his interview with Hendo. According to Ariel, it would be bad business for UFC to give the Jones vs Chael fight to a different venue after it was in discussion with Mandalay Bay, since UFC and Mandalay Bay have such a close partnership. Kinda strange, but I get his point... Jones vs Chael is a product that was in line for Mandalay Bay, so UFC felt the need to show loyalty and not give that product to another partner.
exactly why we need real rankings
+10 Glad to see Im not the only one who sees it that way.
From now on I respect Chael Sonnen.
some of u thnk he joking but i was thinkin the same thing vitor alwys pulls out and chael would b first replacement
I dont think its enough time for Vitor to get injured it usually happens when he has these 3 month training camps, I think he is going to take it easy to minimize injuries
Chael would have no chance against Jones .
No knock out power and terrible striking defence so there's nothing to keep Jones from using everything in his arsenal .
If Chael managed to take down Jones (very unlikely ) he would get hurt from the bottom and would not hold Jones down for long if Jones gets top position then its plastic surgery for Chael from elbow strikes.
you get weaked due to you saying Chael has no striking defense... im pretty sure he is the #1 to #3 guy on the list of best striking defense (according to stats)
you get weaked for nut hugging,
Your the biggest Jones hugger here, you might want to refrain from hypocritical posts.
@highlife i am one of Chael's biggest fans!
many on the site know this , but i have to say i agree with you 100% Chael had no chance vs Jones , not only because he had no training camp but because he has no tools to defeat him.
one thing is Anderson Silva and another is the LHW Champion Jon Jones, while Chael could had dominate Silva like the first time and won probably a decision or even pull a submission! he would have no chance against Jones to do any of it.
Jones has better wrestling , light years ahead on the striking
it would have been Jones easiest win since he got the belt
amazing how he chicken out of that fight.
i rather watch Chael manhandle Forrest before getting with the big boys at 205 and start getting beat up. Chael is a warrior but LHW is a shark pool, his best chance is to go back to MW beat everyone up
now that Belfort is out of 185 and by the time Silva will be out of the picture and then Sonnen will be Champion.
Much respect for a Sonnen fan to come out and say that.
You don't have any respect for anyone, you're always an antagonistic douche bag. You should do some research on topics before you write about them too, makes you look like even more of an idiot. Thanks for playing, come again.
+10 Hunter
this comment was meant for highlife not highkick, stop confusing me with these similar names
Chill Hunter calm down maybe you should change your name to Highlystrung ha ha .
i am pretty high strung, not going to argue, touche
Bones backing down from Chael makes no sence Champs should not be allowed to back down we need new rules for these fighters hiding behind managment,I mean why it's the same fight but Chael has no knockout power,Chael had no time to train for this Jones already finished a camp..Shame on Jones
No its about honor. So Cheal enters the LHW Div and he gets a title shot?! Maybe if you held the title sometime or currently a Champion, that would be sutible grounds to get a title fight. Maybe winning a fight in your new division would be some help. Chael has not met the criteria to challenge the LHW strap!
Dana had no business offering the fight to Chael ,as someone said elswhere it de values the belt.
Chael has no right to a title shot when there are so many others that have earned their place.
Dan knew about the injury 3 weeks before the news broke and he should have told Dana and I hope the UFC learns from this.
It didnt matter if it was Chael or anyone else. Jones refused to fight ANYONE
The fact that its Chael is a matter in its own. I bet you Jones would have considered taking a fight on short notice if it wasn't Chael.
Maybe you didn't watch the video where Hitler was talking about Chael and Jones...
Its a win win. If Vitor stays healthy then its the phenom of the past vs the current phenom. If Vitor get injured then we get to see Chael put on his back where Jones will beat him into submission with elbows.
For highlife to say Jones would handle chael off of his back is hmmmm....I just cant remember ever seeing Johnny Bones on his back taping cats out? Maybe I missed this but that statement is bold with no material. IDK Mock It Up
I said nothing about submissions...if Chael layed on Jones in the same way he does on others he would be eating elbows from the bottom remember Jones has a 4inch reach on Chael .
I think it would be easier for a natural LHW to handle a guy who usually fights at MW and couldn't knock his opponents out at that weight...what's to fear for Jones where ever it went ?
You mentioned sub's so lets not forget that Sonnen is weak in his sub defence and the long legs of Jones would always be a danger to Chael as far as triangles and such go.
+1
Goop Hair it is....Yikkie Dee....Dayyyum Ginnnaaa wzzzzuuppppp
+ huh?
Why should Chael be rewarding from running away from Anderson ? He's a skilled guy but the more he opens his mouth the less respect I have for him as a person. Knock off the WWE antics Chael.
Running?.... I'm not the biggest Chael fan, not even a bit. I do however enjoy his trash talking but on the not about running from Silva.....I think you couldn't be further from the truth....to quote a part of a Chaels saying, in what kinda parallel universe do you have to live in to challenge the #1 p4p mma champion talk shit to him and bring him one of his toughest fight of his career and still be called out for supposedly running? Winterman, I think you caught a brain freeze if you think Chael ran or is running from silva.
I think when you start quoting Chael it's time to get back on your meds Diamond girl .....
Bellatore are right to have their slogan: "Where title shots are earned, not given". UFC has no respect for its own champions... you can get a title shot there by running your mouth.
LHW,MW it just doesnt matter anyone whos competing with Anderson cause nobody else has a chance meats any criteria in my opinion these fighters don't care about size or division ask Penn.At least the real ones dont fact is Jackson claims Hendo trained with Sonnen for the fight which is an excuse an completly untrue.Jones left his honor at the door when he said he fights for money and Sonen said you can have my purse win lose or draw an he chicken legged out.
Well, better late than never