Chael Sonnen

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1 Early Career
2 UFC, Bodog, and WEC
3 Mixed martial arts record
4 Gallery
5 External links

Early Career

Chael Sonnen (born April 3, 1977) arrived on the scene with a bang, handing veteran competitor Jason "Mayhem" Miller, the first loss of his illustrious career on March 30, 2002. Less than a month later Sonnen returned to competition beating Jesse Ault, and Scott Shipman in the same night. Chael quickly put together a 5-0 record before hitting his first rough patch.

After being submitted by Trevor Prangley, Chael journeyed to Japan to face Akihiro Gono. Unfortunately it was not the rebound that Sonnen had hoped for, with the match ending in a draw. Sonnen then returned to the U.S.A. to compete in the star-studded IFC - Global Domination. The event, a one night three-tiered tournament, featured such MMA luminaries as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Jeremy Horn, the eventual winner Renato "Babalu" Sobral, and Sonnen's opponent, future champion Forrest Griffin. The bad news kept coming for Chael as he was forced to tap by Griffin's Triangle Choke.

A decision over Jason Lambert yielded the comeback Sonnen had been striving for, and Chael then started a five fight win streak. Chael's fortunes turned again when a cut cost him a fight with Jeremy Horn. Later that year the two rematched with Horn winning for a second time.

While Sonnen continued to triumph against lesser fighters he seemed to stumble each time he stepped up in competition losing to Terry Martin, before posting back to back TKO wins against Adam Tarsey and Tim Williams.

UFC, Bodog, and WEC

Now a battle-tested professional Sonnen was given a three-fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Losing his first time out to Renato Sobral, and then avenging his loss to Trevor Prangley in his second Octagon appearance. At UFC - 60, Chael was assigned a do-or-die bout with the man who had beaten him twice, Jeremy Horn. Yet again, Horn was able to overcome Sonnen, and Chael's contract was not renewed.

The next chapter for Chael Sonnen was a successful stint in the Bodog Fight organization. Sonnen's first match under the Bodog banner resulted in a TKO over Tim Credeur, a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter. Sonnen posted another three straight victories before ending his association with Bodog.

After a TKO win during a SportFight event, Sonnen was brought into the WEC to face off with the highly-ranked Middleweight Champion, Paulo Filho. Sonnen controlled much of the bout, but was eventually caught in an Armbar by Filho. The battle ended in controversy with the referee calling the match based on a perceived verbal submission. Chael initially protested the outcome, though later stated that the official made "a fair call".

A few months later Sonnen defeated Bryan Baker, and was granted a rematch with Filho. Initially billed as a championship affair, the match was reduced to non-title status when the champion, Filho, missed weight. Sonnen won a generally lackluster meeting by unanimous decision. Filho has also promised to ship the belt to Chael.