Is Chael really THAT fearless?

[grimballer]

Machida didn't sound please when they told him to get potentially injured on short notice.

Yeah, cause machida was already gonna fight for the title, why gamble your future when you're a win away from guaranteed ts?

Chael did what any low level guy would do. N when he actually did have full camp n got ready he still looked like low level guy n like he didnt belong there.

 

[Y0cc3]

Empty words.

its not like the guy comes in and fakes getting injured or something. He tries his best. Its just he isn't that good at 205. And saying its easy to go into the ring with Jones or some of these guys and just "turtle" up, well its not. These guys can seriously hurt you all it takes is a well placed shot on the chin to brake it, a well placed elbow to seriously fuck up your eyes etc. etc.

So let's please stop acting like Chael is doing something anybody could do.

I sparred against mediocre boxer in my first boxing training session ever with very limited skill set and no mouth guard. Now, the mediocre amateur boxer was still much better than I and I couldn't do anything to him while he was beating me up. I sparred two rounds despite gassing in first 15 seconds and being a punching bag. Next day I sparred with him again and got beaten up again.
Am I some fearless warrior because I was willing to step up against much better competition and I took it on 25 second notice with no background in boxing? So hell yeah I would take a fight against Jon Jones if I was anywhere near UFC level, got paid really much and wasn't too proud to turtle up when getting some damage.
No biggie for me and no biggie for many people. Now, I'm smaller and totally unqualified to fight any pro or amateur LHW so I wouldn't take fight against Jones for any money but if I had skill set of Chael I would.

 

[csroster]

Maybe they weren't offered the same thing?

While I'm not privy to all of the offers that go on behind the scenes, I do know that Chael goes looking for these types of deals often anyways. He was calling out Silva and Jones, and tends to do the same thing with other high profile guys.

Because if they lose, they get sent way down the rankings when they are already next for the title shot like Machida was. There are other guys probably wanting the fight but Dana probably turned it down because they are too low in the rankings. If Chael lost, no big deal, cause now look, he's fighting for the #1 contender spot for the 185 title at 205.

If falling down the rankings doesn't hurt Chael from getting into contention, why should anyone else let it stop them?

Who has said that getting close to the title is easy, doesn't take balls or can be achieved by pussies? It's annoying how people create complete straw men, especially online. Learn some philosophy people so you could actually debate better.

Not even sure what you're strutting around with your chest puffed out about. There are fighters that are more fearless than Sonnen, but it takes balls to get into the cage with Silva, Jones, etc... Even if it's high risk and low reward, it takes balls.

It's easy for everyone to say it's a no brainer and they would do it too, but Sonnen is the one calling these guys out and looking for the matches. These other guys should take notes.

 

[cumafish]

he was willing to take jones on a weeks notice. That takes ball.

it has been widely speculated that he had inside info from hendo(former training partner) regarding the knee injury. Most likely he was training, but not forced to enact any weight cutting due to fight being at 205, waiting for dan to pull out of fight and then offer his services.

 

[Y0cc3]

Not even sure what you're strutting around with your chest puffed out about. There are fighters that are more fearless than Sonnen, but it takes balls to get into the cage with Silva, Jones, etc... Even if it's high risk and low reward, it takes balls.

I've been saying this exact thing but people either misunderstand or misunderstand on purpose so they can get some heated debate. Annoying as heck. How damn many times I have to say that NO, CHAEL SONNEN IS NOT A PUSSY, SCARED AND HE DOES HAVE BALLS! for people to understand that. Damn.

edit. So everyone, Chael ain't pussy, there just are guys who are willing to put more on the line than Chael and are therefore much more fearless.
PS. Chael ain't scared of little things, he has balls.
PS2. Chael ain't pussy, there are people who are more scared.

 

[pclanadmin2]

LOL who the hell is not going to accept title shot after title shot he never earned and would never earn? that is not fearless it is smart.

yup

 

[RJ43]

He was willing to take Jones on a weeks notice. That takes ball.

No it doesn't. He had absolutely nothing to lose in that fight and everything to gain. These guys are not afraid of getting beat up so it's not like they are afraid of fighting someone. The only thing they fear is career or image damaging losses.

Chael knows he can talk his way into a lot of fights so taking a loss at LHW to the top P4P fighter in the world wouldn't hurt him at all. Current events prove this even further. The guy gets absolutely manhandled by Rashad and here he is 1 fight away from potentially another shot at the 185 belt.

I do believe that Chael will fight anyone so I give him credit for not ducking anyone and going after the top guys, but him fighting Jones did not take balls.

 

[Bedroomrockstar]

He hasn't looked good since he beat Stann.

I'm sure others have beat me to it, but I'm not reading 9 more pages of back and forth nonsense about Sonnen.

 

[Uncommon Valor]

He's there to pickup a paycheck, but I suppose so.

 

[wigglestick]

I would of thought you'd mention the money part, more fights = more money right? especially title shots, and if you lose during a title match you can only go so far down the rankings yet you make alot of money like when he took the bones fight. But I agree, my dad tries to tell me how ballsy he is but hes not going in there with cain velasquez and not giving up after 100 hard punches to the head, fighters like jds are the true warriors

 

[RJ43]

Exactly. If it's such a no brainer high reward & low risk career move, then why isn't everyone else doing the same thing? I mean shit, free title shots right?

Because no one is as marketable as Chael. He knows that even if he loses he will not be cut nor lose any money from it, especially when he plays hero to step in and fight. You compare him to someone like Machida. If Lyoto were to have stepped in on short notice against Bones and lost it would have all but guaranteed he'd never fight for the LHW belt again. That's a huge, huge career decision for him.

For Chael if he losses no one cares, just like they don't now that he lost to Jones. It was win/win for Chael. Not only that but he was essentially booted out of the MW division when Anderson was champ so he was no longer chasing a title. Most other fighters are in pursuit of title shots in their respective divisions. Taking a guaranteed loss against Jones does not help their cause and sets them back a year at least.

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

Chael is a business man.

 

[blitzk]

 

[xxax]

I sparred against mediocre boxer in my first boxing training session ever with very limited skill set and no mouth guard. Now, the mediocre amateur boxer was still much better than I and I couldn't do anything to him while he was beating me up. I sparred two rounds despite gassing in first 15 seconds and being a punching bag. Next day I sparred with him again and got beaten up again.
Am I some fearless warrior because I was willing to step up against much better competition and I took it on 25 second notice with no background in boxing? So hell yeah I would take a fight against Jon Jones if I was anywhere near UFC level, got paid really much and wasn't too proud to turtle up when getting some damage.
No biggie for me and no biggie for many people. Now, I'm smaller and totally unqualified to fight any pro or amateur LHW so I wouldn't take fight against Jones for any money but if I had skill set of Chael I would.

You're seriously comparing an amatuer boxing sparring against a guy who obviously took it easy on you since it was your first time to a UFC title match?

You're insane.

I've sparred with quite a few really good Muay Thai, Kickboxing and boxing guys, you know why i didn't get knocked the fuck out or have something broken? Because they fucking knew they were better than me and so they took it easy.

Not to mention if you're a guy known for basically throwing fights, you sure as hell aren't in the UFC.

 

[Protectandserve]

Part of it is business smarts but a big part of it is lack of fear. There are lots of fighters who get the opportunities to take the risks Chael does but don't for either fear of tarnishing their records or not having a proper camp.

 

[Deleted member 457759]

He beat Shogun. I have no choice but to respect him.

 

[Y0cc3]

You're seriously comparing an amatuer boxing sparring against a guy who obviously took it easy on you since it was your first time to a UFC title match?

You're insane.

Yes. He was beating the shit out of me while he probably was going half speed. Probably not even half, maybe like 15%. 5 minutes and 45 seconds of beating after gassing feels like shit even if the opponent wasn't going heavy. Leaving with lips tasting like blood, head feeling dizzy, cut on forehead, almost puking from body shots, unable to stand from exhaustion, hurt shoulder and bruised eye corner is probably not that far from getting hell bows for good 15-20 repetitions when turtling up for a vet like Chael.
Sure, I prefer the beating I got in the ring to being grounded by Jones but I'm not professional 205 pounder who is training professionally everyday to fight and gets paid very much for it.

If somebody is insane, it's you. But I don't think you are insane either.

 

[csroster]

Because no one is as marketable as Chael. He knows that even if he loses he will not be cut nor lose any money from it, especially when he plays hero to step in and fight. You compare him to someone like Machida. If Lyoto were to have stepped in on short notice against Bones and lost it would have all but guaranteed he'd never fight for the LHW belt again. That's a huge, huge career decision for him.

For Chael if he losses no one cares, just like they don't now that he lost to Jones. It was win/win for Chael. Not only that but he was essentially booted out of the MW division when Anderson was champ so he was no longer chasing a title. Most other fighters are in pursuit of title shots in their respective divisions. Taking a guaranteed loss against Jones does not help their cause and sets them back a year at least.

I can understand Machida's position there and I don't fault him.

It's that very careful career planning that will stop a guy from being known to step in and fight anytime. And that willingness to step in anytime can lead to a lot of high profile fights and title shots. As you said Chael is a good promoter so his career is going to play to that strength and Lyoto's decisions have to play to his.

I guess overall my stance is that it doesn't take any more balls to pass over a short notice title bout to manage your career than it takes to enter a title bout with low expectations.

So on where Sonnen ranks on the fearless scale; I have a hard time putting him below people who don't step into these high profile fights even though they have good reasons not to.

 

[Squarechoke]

I sparred against mediocre boxer in my first boxing training session ever with very limited skill set and no mouth guard. Now, the mediocre amateur boxer was still much better than I and I couldn't do anything to him while he was beating me up. I sparred two rounds despite gassing in first 15 seconds and being a punching bag. Next day I sparred with him again and got beaten up again.
Am I some fearless warrior because I was willing to step up against much better competition and I took it on 25 second notice with no background in boxing? So hell yeah I would take a fight against Jon Jones if I was anywhere near UFC level, got paid really much and wasn't too proud to turtle up when getting some damage.
No biggie for me and no biggie for many people. Now, I'm smaller and totally unqualified to fight any pro or amateur LHW so I wouldn't take fight against Jones for any money but if I had skill set of Chael I would.

Are you seriously comparing training with a better fighter to serious, full contact competition where you will risk getting hurt badly? Not to mention the different thing about getting beaten up in practice (happens to everyone) to going out and taking a career risk with a loss in front of millions of eyes. There's so much more to it than just getting beaten up.

 

[elchurro]

He was willing to take Jones on a weeks notice. That takes ball.

why does it take balls? He has nothing to lose. Having a title fight on his resume is already a victory for him.