Sonnen: It is real easy to win, but you gotta know how to lose
Posted on July 11, 2012, 11:36 AM by Mike SearsonOn last night's UFC on FuelTV: Munoz vs. Weidman weigh-in show, Chael Sonnen assisted Jay Glazer and Stephan Bonnar and addressed some of the issues that resulted from his recent loss to Anderson "Spider" Silva at UFC 148.
The main topic was the knee to the chest that he took from Spider, many fans watching live mistook it for a knee to the head and hence, an illegal strike: “The knee really hurt. All those shots hurt. But here’s the reality, we don’t do instant replay in this sport, and we shouldn’t. It comes down to a judgement call, and wherever the referee says the knee landed, officially, that’s where the knee landed. That’s an excellent official, as they all are. He made his call, and that’s the way it goes, and I will never complain or look back.”
“Let’s make sure we don’t call it illegal. The referee’s judgement is what stands. I trust in that, and it works both ways. I’ve thrown knees before; the referee makes his decision. That is the decision we live with. We would never appeal it, except with these. If we had a chance to re-do it, well, that’s a different thing. But we would never go and appeal. The decision’s the decision, and part of competing is, you gotta know how to lose. It’s real easy to win, but you gotta know how to lose. Sometimes you gotta man up, swallow it and walk out.”
As for the missed spinning back-fist which lead to Sonnen's undoing: “You know, I really wish that I knew and I don’t know. Listen, in fairness, had that landed, we’d all be talking about what a wonderful spinning punch it was. It didn’t, I fell down like a doofus, and I gotta live with it.”
For all the bad blood between the two from UFC 117 to UFC 148 Sonnen not only respects Silva after the loss, but admits that the Champion has a knack for overcoming adversity: “It’s very rare, in a competition, where a guy will fall apart and come back in the same night. Generally, as athletes, when you fall apart, you gotta go re-group. You go back home, you take a few months off and you come back. In my first fight with Anderson, he fell apart, and then, at some point, he decided, ‘You know what? I still think I can win this thing.’ I really admired that in him. I look up to that in an athlete. He does that. Randy Couture does that really well. Anderson did that in this fight a lot, too. In the first round, he offered very little resistance. He came back strong.”
Rumors of Sonnen’s retirement following this bout were put to rest. Despite what his management team may have suggested, Sonnen is not looking to hang up his gloves anytime soon: “I don’t think any athlete should begin to talk like that or think about that until you let about 30 days go by. In anything in life, you don’t wanna make a decision based on emotion. You have highs and very big lows in this sport. You don’t wanna make any drastic decisions. I think that it’s also an insult to the fans when guys like to come out and say, ‘I’m retired!’ When what they really mean is, ‘I’ll see everybody in 18 months, because I’m coming back.’ I don’t wanna do that. But when I get to that point in my career, I’ll make a statement, and I’ll never look back.”
In hindsight, much of Sonnen's pre-fight banter looks like it was just hype to sell the fight. As a result of this, some have speculated that he might be a good candidate to try out the WWE. Sonnen spoke to that and admitted to being a fan, but he is not going to trade in his MMA gloves for tights in the near future: "I tried to go to the WWE. It’s in Vegas, on the 16th of this month, but I was leaving Vegas. I’d love to go to WWE. I’d love to get my popcorn. I’d cheer on CM Punk, but I go back to my promoter, Dana White, at the end of the night.”
Comments
In short, Sonnen plays the game in all areas. Promote, hype, fight, and summary.......next!
I don't agree with his point about replays, but well done.
He's going to be a really good analyst.
Who is this dude, and what did he do with Chael?
this is the non wwe chael the 1 i like lol!! yes i said that
the real chael, lol the one thats not trying to sell a fight
It almost seems staged
This is the real him. Everything else was an act (that worked). He's got no more reason to put on the act.
Maybe he realized acting like a total jerk didnt get him anywhere
Maybe he just promoted the Silva Sonnen 2 fight, to be the most covered event, highest grossing PPV, and all around largest MMA event of all time.
I know it's hard to believe that Sonnen was acting, but anyone who had any sort of common sense in the first place, already knew this
What else can he say. Silva has finished him twice, chalking up two big "L's" on his record.
If he campaigned for a 3rd fight he'd just look even more ridiculous. I think he realised it was time to let it go and move on.
As a fighter, you either win or lose. Unfortunately for Chael, he has lost to the p4p best fighter in the world twice. There's nothing to be ashamed of, the end. By the way, the knee was legal.
But the thigh to the face was not. Look up "is the thigh part of the leg" on google.
Dude im pretty sure in the replay it showed that Anderson's knee to Chael went to his stomach. Not illegal at all
The knee hit the upper part of Chael's chest, but the thigh made contact with Chael's head/face. Making it technically illegal, even if it's inconsequential.
Nothing it the stomach.
Give it up dude!!
have a tissue
I think Chael deserves credit for not making for excuses. Some fighters do that even when they win.
The knee to the chest might have been legal, but was the thigh to the face? No part of your leg can make contact with the head of a downed opponent.
I don't think it was intentional and totally incidental, and the result was fair, but if you're going to split hairs...
Listen if the thigh hit his chin who cares? It would have done next to no damage and was completely accidental.
If someone is trying for a double against the cage and is on his knees, with his head leaning against the guys legs, should the guy defending be called for a foul since technically his leg is touching the grounded opponent's head?
Crane you're exactly right.
If he chooses to grab shorts, lube his body, and illegally strike when he wants to, who cares??? I agree with that train of thought, if a fighter wants to do whatever to win, then they should be allowed to.
Ha...was i the only one to get that.
CP is the man. 'Nough said.
"It's hard to lose" well Sonnen should be an expert by now
Now Keith, didn't you just lose your first fight?
haha grappling competition actually! only making a small joke about Sonnen's record, hope I have not tarnished my reputation among the community
We can take a joke. Nothing wrong in losing. The shame is in not trying. One of my fav quotes by Michelangelo:
"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."
I was joking about the reputation line if anyone thought i was being serial lol
It's only too bad that he started to actually make true art nearing his death.
Nice to see Chael talking some sense.
I knew it all along, this guy suffers from Schizophrenia...
stop hitting him, he is mentally sick!!!
Chael is actually a really cool and interesting guy. You can see it in his podcast with Joe Rogan.