Chael Sonnen is free to fight, and it looks like he wants to fight everyone, especially anyone from Brazil.
Sonnen sat down with MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani prior to UFC 132 and he was in classic form. The full 19-minute interview is below.
Sonnen throws bombs at nearly everyone from Brazil, especially Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva. Despite his attacks toward Team Blackhouse, it appears that Sonnen will make his return to the UFC against rising middleweight, Brian Stann.
I don’t know that Sonnen will be able to insult an American hero and make people laugh, but we will have to wait and see.
I guess it wasn’t an emotional reaction from Dana White after all.
Just minutes after Nate Marquardt was declared unable to compete at UFC Live 4, White stated that Marquardt was done with the UFC.
Now, despite Marquardt’s tearful apology and a hoard of Twitter followers trying to influence White to rethink his decision, the UFC President stood firm about his choice during the UFC 132 Pre-Fight Press Conference on Thursday. Here is what White told MMAFighting.com.
“Nate’s done,” said White. “I’m done with Nate. Listen, Nate’s a really nice guy. He’s a really sweet, nice, humble guy, but the facts are the facts and it is what it is. It’s easier to go after a guy like Josh Barnett. He’s just callous and rude and he’s a d–k. So when he does it it’s easier to just go, you know what, f–k Josh Barnett. The difference is, Nate’s such a sweet, nice guy, but the same results.”
“The difference with Chael and Marquardt, is we can talk about everything in the Chael incident. We can’t with Marquardt. I’ve seen some of the stuff people are saying. You think I’m this crazy, emotional psycho. Give me a break. This isn’t the first time. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, give him a second chance.’ This would be like the fourth time.”
“He tested positive before, then apparently he was on suspension with New Jersey, because his levels were high, then he comes into [Pittsburgh] and he doesn’t pass his medicals. Now you tell me: is that the fourth chance? Or is that a second chance? Sounds like a fourth chance to me.”
It appears that Marquardt’s run with the UFC is indeed over and he probably only has himself to blame. Hopefully he still is able to land on his feet in some capacity.
During Tuesday’s edition of the MMA Hour, Nate Marquardt appeared live in studio with his manager Lex McMahon as they spoke to Ariel Helwani to address his firing from the UFC for a failed medical exam prior to his UFC Live 4 bout with Rick Story.
According to Marquardt, he has been battling low testosterone levels since August of 2010 and began hormone replacement therapy under the advisement of his doctor.
Marquardt had been altering his therapy sessions in terms of frequency and intensity and that caused his testosterone levels to alter.
Three weeks prior to the fight, Marquardt discovered that his testosterone levels were too high to get licensed for the fight. He stopped doing the therapy sessions, but they didn’t bring his levels back to an acceptable level by the time the medical exam took place on Saturday.
The Pennsylvania Athletic Commission suspended Marquardt indefinitely for the failed test, but Marquardt stated that his testosterone levels are now at an acceptable level and he is in the process of getting his license back.
Marquardt also indicated that the hormone therapy was an issue for his UFC 128 bout with Dan Miller, but he still tested at an acceptable level prior to the bout, so he was cleared to fight.
Marquardt says that he used to take andro over the counter until 2005, which he thinks may have led to his low testosterone levels.
Still, Marquardt was fired from the UFC for the failed test on Saturday. Now, remember that Chael Sonnen was caught with high testosterone levels following his bout with Anderson Silva last year and he has not fought again since, but he was never fired by the UFC.
Should the UFC give Marquardt another chance? Did Marquardt tell the whole story?
It is hard to find a more storied career than Nate Marquardt.
Despite never having won a championship, he has prominently been in the title picture for nearly four years now.
Marquardt has a great all-around game, but “The Great” has never been able to come through with the big victory to send him over the top.
As he gets set to return to action on Sunday in his 170-pound debut against Rick Story, I thought I would look at the three biggest wins and losses in his lengthy career.
High – KO win over Demian Maia at UFC 102 – In what was billed as a No. 1 contender’s match in the UFC middleweight division, Marquardt and Maia faced off. It didn’t last long though, as Marquardt recorded a one-punch KO of Maia in just 21 seconds. It was the most devastating finish of his career and one that seemed to have him on track for his second title shot.
Low – Decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 – Following the win over Maia, Sonnen was then placed in front of Marquardt and the two had a war, but Marquardt wasn’t able to stay off his back, which is normally a strength for him. Sonnen dictated the location and pace of the fight, which set Marquardt back once again.
This week the rankings move back to the middleweight division.
The 185-pound weight class had some interesting developments over the last few months as Chael Sonnen has had his return to the UFC pushed back and one of the top fighters, Nate Marquardt, is moving down to 170 pounds.
Nonetheless, here is what the top 10 in this weight class looks like.
1. Anderson Silva (28-4) – Silva is not only No. 1 on this list, but also on my pound-for-pound list. I think he has a tough test ahead of him in Yushin Okami at UFC 134, as Silva has shown a weakness against big wrestlers. Still, many of Silva’s opponents show him too much respect, which plays right into his hands.
2. Yushin Okami (26-5) – I am moving Okami up to number two because Sonnen’s future is in question and he seems to be losing steam with each passing day. Okami has beaten many of the best in the UFC, but he now has a chance to face the very best in Silva. Okami is a grinder, and that is what will be the most dangerous opponent for Silva to face.
3. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) – Sonnen has a good skill set, but his mouth and his poor choices have caused him to have a questionable future. Despite the fact that he pushed Silva to his limit, Sonnen still was unable to come through with a win. Sonnen has a clear weakness against submission specialists, but he has easily handled some of the top fighters in this division.
I guess it wasn’t an emotional reaction from Dana White after all.
