Image Credit: Bellator
Chael Sonnen Breaks Down Bellator 222 Loss To Lyoto Machida
Chael Sonnen has spoken out on his loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222.
Sonnen took on Machida inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The light heavyweight tilt served as Bellator 222’s co-main event. Sonnen ended up being stopped via TKO in the second round and announced his retirement from mixed martial arts competition.
Taking to his YouTube channel, Sonnen detailed his defeat to Machida and explained why he feels “The Dragon” had success:
“At some point in the first round he hits me with a knee. And I remember when this knee hit, I could hear it hit. He hit me so hard with his knee I’m falling to the ground. It was a bit of a surreal moment. I’ve had a couple of people ask me, ‘were you knocked out? Was it a flash [knockdown]?’ I don’t know how to answer that question. I do not know. I’ve been knocked out one other time in my life. It was in the gym by Dan Henderson and I still deny it to this day that I was knocked out.”
Sonnen went on to say he was surprised by Machida’s ability to control him on the ground:
“I will tell you guys this. I never get credit for this, most of you don’t know this about me. And it really doesn’t help you a whole lot within the sport, but my absolute best position in MMA is on the bottom and getting out. I’m known for that. In the gym you can ask my team, I’m known for that.
“So Machida’s on top of me and he’s not an overly big guy, he’s not an overly heavy guy. I’ve had heavyweights on top who would kind of change those rules a little bit. I wasn’t able to get up and he kept very busy. He was throwing something at my face and it’s very tough when you’re on bottom getting ground-and-pounded because you need your hands.”
Sonnen walks away from the sport of MMA with a professional record of 31-17-1. Over the course of his career, he’s beaten the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Michael Bisping, and Paulo Filho among others.
