Chael Sonnen
Sonnen moves to 205, meets Griffin at year-end show
Former UFC middleweight top contender Chael Sonnen came oh-so-close to attaining gold at UFC 117 against Anderson Silva, and then had a second opportunity at UFC 148 this past July.
Still empty-handed after two losses to the longtime middleweight champ, Sonnen is making a change, as he will make the leap to the 205 lb. mark to make a run in the light heavyweight division.
His first challenge in the weight class comes against former champion and fan favorite Forrest Griffin.
Sonnen announced the bout on FUEL TV’s “UFC Tonight” this week.
The bout will take place on the main card of the promotion’s year-end card, which takes place on December 29 in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by a heavyweight title fight between champion Junior dos Santos and top contender Cain Velasquez.
Sonnen hinted at a move to light heavyweight following his technical knockout loss to Silva on July 7, but the brash fighter seemed uninterested in making a rash decision. Now, he meets Griffin for a second time.
The two met almost a decade ago, not under the UFC banner. Griffin defeated Sonnen via submission, though the fact that the two have met is likely irrelevant considering how long ago their first fight took place.
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