Chael Sonnen was surprised by Jon Jones`s behavior in the lead-up to their fight.
At UFC 159, which took place on April 27, 2013, Chael Sonnen challenged Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title. The event was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Known for his trash talk and confidence, Sonnen usually feels self-assured. He even recently made bold statements towards Francis Ngannou and Alex Pereira.
However, before facing Jones, considered one of the greatest fighters ever, Sonnen`s confidence was even higher than usual.
Jon Jones Seemed Untrained Before Sonnen Bout
Chael Sonnen went into their fight believing he could defeat Jon Jones.
Despite acknowledging Jones`s exceptional talent, Sonnen noticed in the months before their match that Jones didn`t appear to be training as intensely as he was.
On the Fight Back podcast, Sonnen recounted, “It`s hard to describe how naturally gifted he is in MMA. We were on The Ultimate Fighter together, and my confidence grew daily.”
“Initially, we were offered a fight, and he declined. That was almost a compliment to me, making me wonder, `What did he see? Why did he turn it down?` It actually boosted my ego.”
“Then, during The Ultimate Fighter, I was training twice a day, every day, six days a week, and he wasn`t even breaking a sweat. Some days, he wouldn`t even show up. He`d been out partying.”
“Watching this, I thought, `Okay, he`s really good, but I can definitely outwork him. I`m doing everything right, every single day.` But it wasn`t like that. He`s just naturally gifted at fighting.”
Jones ultimately defeated Sonnen by TKO in the first round.
Chael Sonnen Remembers 50 Cent Incident After Jones Fight
The loss to Jones wasn`t the only unpleasant experience Sonnen had involving him.
Sonnen recalls an unforgettable night when he and Jones encountered rapper 50 Cent.
Although 50 Cent is known to be a UFC fan, he seemed uninterested in engaging with Sonnen.
Sonnen has since revealed how Jones indirectly caused him to be snubbed by 50 Cent.
