Chael Sonnen was recognized as one of the all-time best mixed martial arts fighters for nearly three decades. His creative insults made him one of the most entertaining UFC fighters too.
Sonnen started as a Greco-Roman wrestler. He won several awards in the sport. Those early experiences helped prepare him for mixed martial arts.
Sonnen became involved in MMA fighting while he was in college. He didn’t become a professional MMA fighter until completing his degree at the University of Oregon.
Chael Sonnen MMA
Sonnen is a skilled grappler. That’s not surprising since he learned grappling techniques on his high school and college wrestling teams.
Few combatants can match his ability to hold a fighter into submission.
What Promise Did Chael Sonnen Make His Father?
Just before Chael Sonnen’s father died, he promised his him he would defeat Tito Ortiz and take the world championship title.
Unfortunately, Sonnen wasn’t able to keep his promise. He faced Tito Ortiz at Bellator 170 in 2017. Sonnen submitted to Ortiz when he couldn’t escape a rear-naked choke.
Chael Sonnen YouTube
Chael Sonnen has a YouTube channel named Bad Guy Inc. He has posted over 6,000 videos and attracted 1.23 million subscribers. Most of Bad Guy Inc’s episodes involve Sonnen speaking directly to the camera. In other videos, he interviews MMA fighters and journalists.
His most popular video is about Sonnen’s experience training with Georges St-Pierre (GSP). GSP is a renowned fighter with only two defeats in his career.
Other popular videos cover topics like fighting Joe Rogan and the real-world personalities of MMA fighters.
Did Chael Sonnen Make $8.8 Million From One Fight?
Chael Sonnen says UFC paid him $8.8 million in 2012 for a match against Anderson Silva. Sonnen and Silva had fought two years before in a UFC title event. The rematch was one of the most anticipated events in UFC history.
UFC hasn’t confirmed Sonnen’s report, but other fighters say they have received similar offers for UFC championship fights. However, some on the UFC roster say they have been offered considerably lower amounts.
How Did Chael Sonnen Make His Money?
Chael Sonnen made his money as an MMA fighter. Anyone following his career, though, should know that he also has interests in real estate, sports journalism, and entrepreneurship.
After retiring from the world of mixed martial arts, he took a job as a reporter for ESPN. His extensive knowledge of the sport and experiences with major fighters made him an excellent MMA analyst.
Sonnen started his MMA career in 1997 when he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). His size meant he could compete in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.
Sonnen stayed in the UFC until he retired in 2014. He also participated in World Extreme Cagefighting and Bodog Fight during a brief hiatus from UFC.
While Sonnen made most of his money as a mixed martial arts fighter, he also worked as an Oregon realtor and business owner. These careers have contributed to some legal troubles, though. While selling homes in Oregon, he was charged with and pleaded guilty to money laundering.
In 2022, Sonnen co-founded Mean Streets Pizza in a Portland suburb. Just one year later, he filed charges about his business partner, Lee Gamble, claiming he had embezzled money and failed to pay rent. Gamble counter-sued and the partners decided to settle out of court. They sold the business in 2014.
Experts following Sonnen’s career often disagree about his estimated net worth. Some believe that the retired fighter has over $10 million. That would make sense, considering that Sonnen claims he got paid over $8 million for one fight.
Others put his net worth closer to $4 million. It’s unclear whether this amount includes his real property.
While the public will probably never see a document showing Chael Sonnen’s true worth, it’s probably at the higher end of the spectrum, not least because he has the highest rated MMA-focused channel on YouTube with over one million subscribers.
Ariel & The Bad Guy Show
Ariel & The Bad Guy was a weekly MMA program that ran for three seasons (2018-2020) on ESPN+.
Chael Sonnen co-hosted the show with journalist Ariel Helwani. Gilbert Melendez co-hosted five episodes.
Did Chael Sonnen Get Caught Money Laundering?
Sonnen pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2011. Records show that Sonnen had asked a title company to lend a plumbing company $69,000.
The money was supposed to pay for repairs to a Portland-area home, but Sonnen is reported to have not spent money on the property. Once the loan was approved, Sonnen directed $65,000 to the homebuyer. Sonnen was the realtor representing the property, so he stood to benefit financially from the incentive.
Conditions of his plea deal forced Sonnen to cooperate with authorities investigating other people involved in the crime. He paid a $10,000 fine and spent two years on probation.
What would have happened if he had refused to cooperate? He would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and paying a $500,000 fine. Given the potential penalty, it’s easy to see why he took the deal, even if it meant testifying against his accomplices.
Is Chael Sonnen a Felon?
Chael Sonnen has been charged with several crimes, but he has never been found guilty of committing a felony.
He pleaded guilty to money laundering after Oregon prosecutors charged him in connection with mortgage fraud. Sonnen worked as a realtor at the time. He paid a $10,000 fine and spent two years on probation after testifying against others involved in the crime.
Las Vegas police arrested Sonnen for allegedly attacking a couple in a hotel. Prosecutors charged him with five counts of misdemeanor battery. They later dropped the charges.
Later that year, however, the district attorney filed new charges against Sonnen, including one count of felony battery and 10 counts of misdemeanor battery. The district attorney argued that Sonnen had attacked the couple unprovoked and strangled one of the victims.
Sonnen says he does not recall the event. No video evidence of the altercation was captured. The charges were reduced to misdemeanors. Sonnen rejected the plea deal. He’s awaiting a new trial, but a date hasn’t been set.
Why Was Chael Sonnen Cut From the UFC?
The UFC cut Chael Sonnen’s contract short in 2014 after he failed multiple drug tests.
Sonnen failed his first random drug test in 2013, forcing the UFC to pull him from a fight in Nevada.
He failed two more drug tests in 2014. His sample tested positive for human growth hormone and other banned substances.
Who Has Beaten Chael Sonnen?
Chael Sonnen participated in 49 mixed martial arts fights, winning 31, losing 17, and drawing once. He didn’t lose any matches from 1997 to 2002, but lost to Trevor Prangley in 2003 during XFA 5: Redemption in West Palm Beach, FL.
During a 2004 Extreme Challenge bout, he received his first technical knock out (TKO) from Jeremy Horn. The match was cut short to prevent further injuries.
While he lost from submissions in other fights, he didn’t receive another TKO until he faced Anderson Silva at the 2012 UCF 148 tournament. He lost the following year’s UFC 259 to Jon Jones.
Sonnen lost his last two matches in 2018 and 2019 (to Fedor Emelianenko and Lyoto Machida, respectively). After the losses, Sonnen retired from professional fighting.
Chael Sonnen Wife & Kids
After several years of dating, Chael Sonnen and Brittany Smith got married in 2013.
The couple has two children, and tragically a third who died from listeria just five days after she was born.
Who Is the Richest MMA Fighter?
Connor McGregor – an estimated net worth of $200 million – is almost certainly the richest MMA fighter.
The next-wealthiest MMA fighter is either Rorion Gracie or Khabib Nurmagomedoz. They have net worths between $40 and $50 million.
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