Chael Sonnen Admits He’d Be Failure If He Never Wins Title

Chael Sonnen has always been close, yet never able to capture a title, which is why he’d be the first to admit he’d be a failure if he never won one.

In the main event of Bellator 208 on October 13, 2018 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on the Paramount Network, Fedor Emelianenko was able to score a first-round TKO win over Sonnen. This marked his most recent bout.

Before then, Sonnen was able to pick up a decision win over former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson at Bellator 192 at The Forum in Inglewood, California in January 2018 to move forward in the heavyweight tournament.

Sonnen is slated to take part in an upcoming light heavyweight showdown against former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in the co-headliner of the Bellator 222 event.

Chael Sonnen Admits The Truth

While doing a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Sonnen made it known that if he doesn’t keep the promise to his father of becoming a champion then he would consider his pro-MMA career a bust.

“At this point, I almost regret it and wish I would’ve kept it as a personal motivation for myself. It is a lot of pressure. … I will either win the championship, or I will be a failure. I believe that wholeheartedly. I was told when I was 17 years old by Matt Lindland, we were both on a wrestling quest at that time, but he told me, ‘You cannot retire unless you win a world championship; you can only quit.’ I don’t want to be a quitter.”

Bellator 222 is set to take place on Friday, June 14, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The preliminary card will air online at 6:30 p.m. EST, while the main card will air on DAZN at 10:00 p.m. EST.