Issue 196
December 2022
Being awarded the job of hosting the Fighters Only World MMA Awards is almost as prestigious as winning one of the much sought-after awards, and the man at the helm of the 14th Annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards was a man who is no stranger to speaking into a microphone and capturing the attention of millions. Simon Head caught up with the man himself, Chael Sonnen, on the red carpet for a quickfire catch-up before he took to the stage...
Chael Sonnen! Host of the 14th Annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards!
Can you believe that? Could it happen to a better guy?
Could it ever have been anybody else?
No! There shouldn't have been anybody else! There could have been, but there should not have been!
As a brand, Fighters Only has been around the sport for a lot longer than the 14 years it's been doing the awards. But as a brand, what does it mean?
I will tell you this. As fighters, we disagree about everything – the pound-for-pound, who should be the number-one contender – but when the Fighters Only World MMA Awards gives out an award, everybody in our industry accepts it. And you try a little harder, and you try to win in the next year, you cast your ballot. But this is the final say in our industry. Possibly the only thing we agree on, is what happens tonight.
What did it mean to you as a fighter? Was that something you checked? Was that something that you checked the pages and got the magazine when you were a fighter on the way up?
Oh, yeah, most definitely. It's a real honor if you win something like this. It's an honor to be nominated, frankly.
I know you're a shy, retiring type who shies away from the camera. What's it going to be like for you up on the stage in front of all your contemporaries?
Ha! It'll be good. You know what, I love the setup. I've already been in there. We did what the kids call a walkthrough, and there's a beautiful setup. I think he gets better each year, but I've got to give I gotta give the hotel, the Sahara, a lot of credit. I think it's the greatest setup we've had so far.
If we could get one bold prediction from Chael Sonnen for MMA in 2023, what would it be?
For 2023, a bold prediction? OK, let me give you a wish. There's a lot of really big fights that are rumored to happen. The one that I hope happens, of all the rumored ones, is Covington versus Chimaev, and for me to fully enjoy it it's got to be five rounds, and it's got to be for the official number-one contendership.
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