Chael Sonnen reveals key reason behind his fifth-round lost in first Anderson Silva fight
The “American Gangster” Chael Sonnen was, and still is, one of the biggest figures in MMA. Chael is a martial arts fan and will engage in any conversation relating to the sport. But just don’t ask about his old fights.
Chael admitted that he has never watched any of his fights.
“I never watch any of my fights over,” he admitted to Watson. “It’s a weakness. I’d be better off if I did, but I never do. It makes my stomach nervous, my hands get sweaty – even if I know the outcome. I’ve never watched that fight, and I don’t think I ever will.”
A fight that Chael does remember is the most memorable fight in recent history against the great Anderson Silva.
Chael was dominating the fight for four rounds and then the fight dramatically came to a finish 70 seconds before the bell.
That moment has stood the test of time and Chael revealed a secret detail to the story.
“I do remember one thing, which was in the fifth round – which I had never been to before – the corner had told me before the round that it was the fourth round, that we had two rounds to go. And I only bring that up to you because I have often wondered would I have done something different if I knew there was only a minute left? A minute left and I’m gonna be the world champion as opposed to a whole other round. That isn’t an attempt to blame the corner, I’m just sharing a story with you about that specific moment.”
“Five isn’t all that big of a number, but when you’ve never been in the five-round club before it’s a very unique experience,” he continued. “You can look at fighters that have been doing this 20-25 years – Vitor Belfort comes to mind, absolute legend, world champion, will be in the Hall of Fame. He is not in the five-round club. He has never gone five rounds, and I don’t suspect he ever will. It’s a very rare club. Not many guys ever main event or have a title fight (or) are ever put in five rounds, let alone go the duration.
“I did lose track of the rounds. I didn’t really know where I was and he hadn’t hit me that many times, but every time he hit me, it affected me. So between all of the chaos that goes on, (I) lost track of the rounds and it was a choke – it wasn’t an armbar – that made me tap. I didn’t really know where I was. … It’s one of these things that, when you start to go out, even if it’s for half a second, it could be five minutes. It’s kind of like when you go to sleep at night. Have I been asleep five hours? Have I been asleep five minutes? You have to look at a clock.
“It’s kind of one of those strange moments and I’ve never seen the fight.”
