Chael Sonnen is renowned for his fantastic trash-talking skills, but on one occasion, he made a mistake that left him looking like a ‘doofus’.
While the American has savaged many an opponent with his quirky one-liners, he sincerely regrets going ahead with this piece of mental warfare.
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty ImagesChael Sonnen reminisces over the Frank Shamrock call-out that did not go well
Throughout the history of the UFC, perhaps no one has proved as talented in the talking department as the great Chael Sonnen.
‘The American Gangster’ is wonderfully skilled on the mic. With an ability to entertain the fans and severely anger his rivals, the gifted athlete always knew how to put on a show.
However, as gifted as he was in this department, there’s still one moment of madness that he wishes he could erase from history.
While targeting a fight with his rival Tito Ortiz, he surmised that it would be an intelligent method to first square off with Frank Shamrock. Consequently, he planned an inventive method of securing a bout with the legend, but things soon took a turn for the worse.
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In an episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy, he said: “I was going after Tito [Ortiz] back in the day. And as my way to get to Tito, I put a plan together that I was going to go through Frank Shamrock.
“I had signs made where we would march around just like it was a campaign for office…the folks that made me the signs, misspelled ‘Frank Shamrock’. And then, I was just a doofus! I saw those signs ahead of time, that night in the locker room. But it was still a choice: do we do this?
“I elected to do it, and frankly, when the name is misspelled, I should’ve just left those signs in the back.”
The trash talker eventually got his opportunity to go head-to-head with Ortiz inside the Bellator cage in 2017.
In an extremely controversial encounter, Sonnen appeared to submit ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’. However, it wasn’t counted, and Ortiz eventually managed to mount a comeback and claim the victory for himself.
What happened when Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen trash-talked on stage?
If there’s anyone in UFC history who can claim to match Sonnen’s ability to roast his rivals, it’s Conor McGregor.
The Irishman is a feared competitor, capable of beating his opponents before they even set foot in the cage.
So, when the pair met on stage in a battle of the titans, the world watched in awe to see who’d get the better of the verbal exchange.
And it’s fair to say they both fired their fair share of amusing shots in the other’s direction.
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