Pro Record
27-11-1
Chael Sonnen
Photo Source: MMAWeekly.com
- Given Name: Chael Patrick Sonnen
- Professional MMA Record: 27-11-1 (Win-Loss-Draw)
- Nickname:
- Current Streak: 2 Wins
- Age: 35 | Date of Birth: 1977.04.03
- Last Fight: January 28, 2012 in UFC
- Weight Class: Middleweight | Last Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs
- Career Disclosed Earnings: $441,250 USD
- Height: 6'1" (186cm) | Reach: 74.0" (188cm)
- Gym/Affiliation: Team Quest
- Born: Milwaukie, Oregon, United States
- Fighter Pages: Sherdog | Wikipedia | The UG | UFC.com
- Fighting out of: West Linn, Oregon
- Personal Pages: Twitter | MySpace
| Consensus Rank |
#2 Current Best MMA Middleweight Fighter
#65 Greatest MMA Fighter of All Time #16 Top Fan Favorite MMA Fighter #16 Current Best Pound For Pound MMA Fighter #25 Greatest MMA Grappler of All Time #73 Greatest MMA Striker of All Time |
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| Your Rank | Register now to create your own rankings and influence the consensus lists. |
Before beginning a career in professional mixed martial arts competition, Chael Sonnen was an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Oregon, a two-time University National Champion in Greco Roman wrestling, and a U.S. Olympic team alternate. Sonnen had his first pro fight in 2002, defeating Jason “Mayhem” Miller by Unanimous Decision.
Over the next five years, Sonnen fought some of the best fighters in the world at middleweight and light heavyweight, but often came up short against top ten-level opponents. That all changed in 2008, when Sonnen became the first man to defeat Brazilian WEC Middlweight Champion Paulo Filho. After the victory, a seemingly reinvigorated Sonnen moved to the UFC’s middleweight division and defeated Dan Miller, Yushin Okami, and Nate Marquardt, all of them by dominant Unanimous Decision, to become the top contender to Anderson Silva’s middleweight belt in 2010.
Although he is not known for his finishing ability—more than half of his career wins have come by way of decision—Sonnen is himself notoriously difficult to finish, and his size, physical strength, tenacity and wrestling skill make him one of the most difficult men to deal with in the middleweight division. Always known for being brash, Sonnen's recent UFC success has only increased his level of chatter.
Chael Sonnen MMA Fight Record
| Professional Results | Opponent | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmed Upcoming Bout |
Anderson Silva
|
UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2
Main Event | Title Challenge | Middleweight | 185 |
2012.07.07 |
| Odds: +220 Moderate Underdog | |||
| Cancelled Bout | Anderson Silva | UFC 147 - Reason: Bout Rescheduled | 2012.06.23 |
|
Win | Decision | Unanimous
3 Rounds, 15:00 Total |
Michael Bisping
Ref: John McCarthy |
UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis
Co-Main Event | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2012.01.28 |
| Odds: -400 Heavy Favorite | Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs | |||
|
#11 Best MMA Fight of the Year for 2012
|
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| Cancelled Bout | Mark Munoz | UFC on FOX 2 - Reason: Munoz Elbow Injury | 2012.01.28 |
|
Win | Submission | Choke
3:51 Round 2 of 3, 8:51 Total |
Brian Stann
Ref: Kerry Hatley |
UFC 136: Edgar vs Maynard 3
Main Card | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2011.10.08 |
| Odds: -260 Moderate Favorite | Weigh-In: 185.5 lbs | |||
|
#41 Greatest Middleweight MMA Fight of All Time
#25 Best MMA Submission of the Year 2011 |
|||
|
Loss | Submission | Choke
3:10 Round 5 of 5, 23:10 Total |
Anderson Silva
Ref: Josh Rosenthal |
UFC 117: Silva vs Sonnen
Main Event | Title Challenge | Middleweight | 185 |
2010.08.07 |
| Odds: +350 Moderate Underdog | Disclosed Pay: $95,000 ($35K Base, $60K Fight/Night) | Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs | |||
|
#4 Greatest Fight of All Time
#5 Greatest Submission of All Time #51 Biggest Upset of All Time #1 Best MMA Fight of the Year for 2010 #1 Greatest Middleweight MMA Fight of All Time #1 Best MMA Submission of the Year 2010 #2 Greatest Comeback of All Time UFC 117 Fight of the Night UFC 117 Submission of the Night |
|||
|
Win | Decision | Unanimous
3 Rounds, 15:00 Total |
Nate Marquardt
Ref: Josh Rosenthal |
UFC 109: Relentless
Co-Main Event | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2010.02.06 |
| Odds: +360 Moderate Underdog Upset Victory | Disclosed Pay: $124,000 ($32K Base, $32K Bonus, $60K Fight/Night) | Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs | |||
|
#34 Best MMA Fight of the Year for 2010
#10 Greatest Middleweight MMA Fight of All Time UFC 109 Fight of the Night |
|||
|
Win | Decision | Unanimous
3 Rounds, 15:00 Total |
Yushin Okami
Ref: Steve Mazzagatti |
UFC 104: Machida vs Shogun
Preliminary Card | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2009.10.24 |
| Odds: +228 Moderate Underdog Upset Victory | Disclosed Pay: $54,000 ($27K Base, $27K Bonus) | Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs | |||
|
Win | Decision | Unanimous
3 Rounds, 15:00 Total |
Dan Miller
Ref: Yves Lavigne |
UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida
Main Card | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2009.05.23 |
| Odds: +180 Slight Underdog | Disclosed Pay: $50,000 ($25K Base, $25K Bonus) | Weigh-In: 186.0 lbs | |||
|
Loss | Submission | Choke
2:37 Round 1 of 3 |
Demian Maia
Ref: Dan Miragliotta |
UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson
Main Card | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2009.02.21 |
| Odds: +230 Moderate Underdog | Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs | |||
|
#17 Greatest Submission of All Time
#32 Best MMA Fight of the Year for 2009 #49 Greatest Middleweight MMA Fight of All Time UFC 95 Submission of the Night |
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|
Win | Decision | Unanimous
3 Rounds, 15:00 Total |
Paulo Filho
Ref: Jorge Ortiz |
WEC 36: Faber vs Brown
Main Card | Catchweight | 189 lbs |
2008.11.05 |
| Odds: +105 Near Even | Disclosed Pay: $48,250 ($29,250 Base, $19K Bonus) | Weigh-In: 184.5 lbs | |||
|
Win | Decision | Unanimous
3 Rounds, 15:00 Total |
Bryan Baker
Ref: Steve Mazzagatti |
WEC 33: Marshall vs Stann
Main Card | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2008.03.26 |
| Odds: -341 Moderate Favorite | Disclosed Pay: $34,000 ($17K Base, $17K Bonus) | Weigh-In: 186.0 lbs | |||
|
Loss | Submission | Armlock
4:55 Round 2 of 5, 9:55 Total |
Paulo Filho
Ref: Josh Rosenthal |
WEC 31: Faber vs Curran
Main Card | Title Challenge | Middleweight | 185 |
2007.12.12 |
| Odds: +355 Moderate Underdog | Disclosed Pay: $25,000 Base | Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs | |||
| Win | KO/TKO | Punches | Kyacey Uscola | SF 20 | 2007.10.27 |
| Win | KO/TKO | Punches | Amar Suloev | Bodog Fight | 2007.07.14 |
| Win | Submission | Choke | Tim McKenzie | Bodog Fight | 2007.02.18 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Alexey Oleinik | Bodog Fight | 2006.12.02 |
| Win | KO/TKO | Punches | Tim Credeur | Bodog Fight | 2006.08.22 |
|
Loss | Submission | Armlock
1:17 Round 2 of 3, 6:17 Total |
Jeremy Horn
Ref: Herb Dean |
UFC 60: Hughes vs Gracie
Preliminary Card | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2006.05.27 |
| Odds: +255 Moderate Underdog | Disclosed Pay: $5,000 Base | Weigh-In: 185.5 lbs | |||
|
Win | Decision | Unanimous
3 Rounds, 15:00 Total |
Trevor Prangley
Ref: Steve Mazzagatti |
UFC Fight Night 4
Preliminary Card | Middleweight | 185 lbs |
2006.04.06 |
| Odds: +190 Slight Underdog | Disclosed Pay: $6,000 ($3K Base, $3K Bonus) | Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs | |||
|
Loss | Submission | Choke
1:20 Round 2 of 3, 6:20 Total |
Renato Sobral
Ref: Herb Dean |
UFC 55: Fury
Main Card | Light Heavyweight | 205 lbs |
2005.10.07 |
| Weigh-In: 198.0 lbs | |||
| Win | KO/TKO | Punches | Tim Williams | SF 11 | 2005.07.09 |
| Win | KO/TKO | Punches | Adam Tarsey | Euphoria | 2005.02.26 |
| Loss | KO/TKO | Retired | Terry Martin | XFO 4 | 2004.12.03 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Alex Stiebling | WEC 12 | 2004.10.21 |
| Loss | Submission | Choke | Jeremy Horn | SF 6 | 2004.09.23 |
| Loss | Decision | Majority | Keiichiro Yamamiya | Pancrase | 2004.07.25 |
| Loss | KO/TKO | Injury | Jeremy Horn | EC 57 | 2004.05.06 |
| Win | KO/TKO | Knee | Justin Bailey | ROTR | 2004.04.17 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Arman Gambaryan | Euphoria | 2004.03.13 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Homer Moore | ROTR 4.5 | 2003.12.27 |
| Win | Submission | Strikes | Greg Curnut | FCFF | 2003.12.13 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Jason Lambert | GC 20 | 2003.11.13 |
|
Loss | Submission | Choke
2:25 Round 1 of 3 |
Forrest Griffin
|
IFC - Global Domination | 2003.09.06 |
| Weigh-In: 197.0 lbs | |||
| Draw | Akihiro Gono | Pancrase | 2003.02.16 |
| Loss | Submission | Armlock | Trevor Prangley | XFA 5 | 2003.01.25 |
| Win | KO/TKO | Punches | Justin Hawes | UFCF | 2002.08.24 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Jesse Ault | RFC 1 | 2002.07.13 |
| Win | Submission | Choke | Scott Shipman | Dangerzone | 2002.04.13 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Jesse Ault | Dangerzone | 2002.04.13 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Jason Miller | HFP 1 | 2002.03.30 |
| Win | Decision | Unanimous | Ben Hailey | BFV | 1997.05.10 |
Chael Sonnen News View All
Monday 05.14.2012 12:01pm ET | View Full Article
Chael Sonnen went back on TSN's Off The Record with Michael Landsberg (a show he'd previously walked off of) about a week ago, and when doing so a bit of interesting news was dropped. It appears that WWE legend, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is Sonnen's strength and conditioning coach. Not only is Austin working with Sonnen for the UFC 148 rematch with Anderson Silva, but Chael says that he has been ...
Video: Chael Sonnen working with Stone Cold Steve Austin to prepare for Anderson Silva UFC 148 fight
Sunday 05.13.2012 3:45pm ET | View Full Article
"Part of my arrangement with Mr. Austin is that I don't get too into it. But look, this isn't anything new. I've worked with him for the last three fights. He's a strength and conditioning coach, he has me out to the ranch, and he puts me through hell for 30 days. That's what we use to jump start our training, basically. That's it. He doesn't want to be involved and I'm not going to involve hi...
Friday 05.11.2012 2:30pm ET | View Full Article
The preliminary card of UFC 148 will likely be hosting at least one loser-leaves-town matchup. One guy is looking for his first UFC win in five tries, and the other is looking to break a three-fight losing streak. UFC.com brings the news:
It's well-rounded striker vs. well-rounded grappler as verbal agreements are in for a lightweight fight between John "The Natural" Alessio and Team Takedown...
Friday 05.11.2012 1:10pm ET | View Full Article
As expected, next month's UFC 147 event will be a scaled-down version of the original plan.
While once expected to take place at an outdoor stadium and challenge the UFC's all-time attendance record - thanks to a since-rescheduled Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen title rematch - the June 23 event is officially headed indoors.
UFC executives today confirmed it'll take place at "Mineirinho" (Estad...
Chael Sonnen Videos & Highlights
Interview | Chael Sonnen thinks the light heavyweight division is a joke report dead link
Chael Sonnen tells Fight! Magazine exactly what he thinks about the light heavyweight division.
