Chael Sonnen Begins Verbal Assault on Fedor Emelianenko Ahead Of Grand Prix Fight

To no surprise, Chael Sonnen has already begun to take shots at Fedor Emelianenko.

This past Saturday (April 28, 2017), Emelianenko knocked out Frank Mir in less than one minute in the main event of Bellator 198 to advance to the semi-finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix where he’ll take on Sonnen, who out-pointed Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his opening round bout earlier this year.

Following Emelianenko’s victory, Sonnen entered the cage to exchange words with the Russian:

“The only thing I hate more than being right here in Chicago, is being in this ring with you,” Sonnen said. “I assure you the next time I am, it will not be for long.”

He then continued his trash talk on Twitter:

The greatest HWT ever and FEDOR. pic.twitter.com/muGRaFB9RO

— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) April 29, 2018

This statement is obviously not true, as Sonnen has competed most of his career at middleweight and light heavyweight, while just recently moving up to heavyweight for the tournament. Emelianenko, however, is widely considered to be not only one of the best heavyweights of all-time, but one of the best fighters of all-time period.

“The Last Emperor’s” legendary run between 2001 and 2009 that saw him go unbeaten in 28 bouts is what made him a legend of the sport. At 41-years-old, he obviously isn’t the same fighter, but he clearly has some gas left in the tank.

So while Sonnen’s comments are extremely far-fetched, the build-up to the fight will likely be entertaining.