Chael Sonnen is known to be one of the godfathers of trash-talking in MMA. The former UFC middleweight has a strong following due to his ability to engage the audience with his interesting take on MMA. Furthermore, when he interacts with journalist Ariel Helwani, it is always an exciting experience.
Ariel and Chael have appeared multiple times on each other’s podcasts. Both of them share an outstanding chemistry that is loved by the MMA audience. However, in a recent episode of The MMA Hour, they broke into a serious argument while discussing Francis Ngannou.
While talking about the match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, the conversation shifted to the financial side of the match. While Ariel said that Francis landed a great deal as he was getting $10 million, ‘Uncle Chael’ had another perspective.
According to Sonnen, the audience was not interested in the monetary side but the competitive side of the match. “The only reason your audience is still watching, the reason Francis is in the headlines today doesn’t have to do with the money,” said Chael.
“You’re disgusting and you’re weak Ariel. You’re disgusting and weak. You’re a weak little weasle.”
The ending to the MMA Hour interview with Chael Sonnen and Ariel Helwani. WOW.#MMA #Boxing #MMAHour pic.twitter.com/6fISLDYioO
— Abe (@AbeMorales209) November 1, 2023
Furthermore, he claimed that the PPV was not as successful as expected. However, this debate about Ngannou turned into a shouting match as Chael decided to threaten Ariel Helwani. “Ariel, you keep cutting me off, you dumb son…I would strangle you if I was there,” said ‘The American Gangster’. The argument remained unresolved by the end of the interview.
Chael Sonnen believes that Francis Ngannou ‘fumbled the bag’ by leaving the UFC
Chael Sonnen has been very outspoken about his opinions related to MMA. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, ‘The American Gangster’ gave a unique perspective about ‘The Predator’ leaving the UFC. While Sonnen praised Francis for his outstanding performance against Tyson Fury, he still believes that leaving the UFC was a mistake for Francis.
“I’ve already seen the story mistold that played this one and didn’t fumble the bag,” said Chael. Furthermore, Chael believes that Ngannou would have easily made more than $10 million in a UFC fight against Jon Jones. Moreover, Ngannou could have made an equal amount of money in four fights with the UFC, excluding the Jones fight.
Furthermore, he believes that there are no interesting MMA opponents for him at the PFL. In the UFC he could have fought Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic but PFL does not have anyone besides Junior Dos Santos or Fabricio Werdum.
However, he feels that the best route for Francis now is to fight Deontay Wilder or rematch Tyson Fury in a boxing ring. It will be interesting to see what’s next for ‘The Predator’. Do you agree with Chael Sonnen’s opinion on Francis Ngannou? Let us know in the comments section.