Chael Sonnen held at undisclosed location ahead of UFC 299 to protect him from Jorge Masvidal
Don’t expect to see Chael Sonnen walking the streets of Miami this weekend without some muscle to back him up.
Though ‘The American Gangster’ hardly needs protection, that’s exactly what he’s been saddled with after Jorge Masvidal made multiple threats of physical violence against the West Linn, Oregon native.
Chael would be one guy that I would love to break his eye orbital,” Masvidal said during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “Just because he’s such a cheating f*ck. Like he’s gotten caught with more substances in his body than any other competitor in the history. At one time he had like six or seven different substances in his body for one of his title fights. It’s like you’re a f*cking piece of sh*t human being.”
It was the second time that we’ve seen ‘Gamebred’ spit venom at the three-time UFC title challenger, the first occurring in November when Masvidal slammed Sonnen during a profanity-laced rant despite there being no prior enmity between the two.
Chael Sonnen reveals threats from Jorge Masvidal
With both men expected to be in attendance at the Kaseya Center for UFC 299 on Saturday night, Sonnen revealed in a YouTube video that he was being held at an undisclosed location with guards at his door to prevent any potential shenanigans from the former BMF titleholder.
I am at a separate location from everybody else with two security guards because I have been threatened by Jorge Masvidal,” Sonnen said. “I gotta tell you, I went into the tough guy business very early so that I would never have to worry about the very situation that I find myself in right now. There’s guys out there that I would have to worry about, but there are extremely few and I’m never going to run into one of them outside of a cage because no man would be that foolish. Yet here I am with two guys who will not allow me to leave my room.”
As silly as all of this sounds, we need to remember that Masvidal does have a history of sneak-attacking fighters in the street. Weeks removed from his March 2022 clash with bitter rival Colby Covington at UFC 272, ‘Gamebred’ notoriously ran up on Covington outside of a Miami steakhouse and sucker punched him, chipping his tooth in the process. Masvidal pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge and was ultimately sentenced to time served and court costs.
Three years prior, Masvidal was involved in the infamous “three-piece and a soda” incident with Leon Edwards following a Fight Night event at the O2 Arena in London. And this weekend, Sonnen is poised to feature in the same arena as the former — as he takes on desk duty for ESPN at UFC 299.
“I don’t think Jorge Masvial would do anything, but I’m not certain. I’m not positive. There’s a part of me that also knows he would. He’s done it before, but I don’t fully know how we got here. I know why I am not happy with Masvidal. Because he went on Ariel’s show and said that he was not happy with me. I know why I’m bothered by Mavidal, but I don’t know why he’s bothered with me.
“It’s a very hard thing to imagine. Could you imagine not liking Chael? I’m a charming guy. Charismatic. Loyalty, honor, respect. You could apply all of those things to me and Masvidal finds that the Chael charm is not quite as powerful as some. Therefore, I sit before you in a secluded room with my own pool and hot tub.”
What are your thoughts on Chael Sonnen’s situation ahead of his appearance at UFC 299 this weekend?
