UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen continues to back heavyweight Gable Steveson to be a UFC champion despite his shocking loss at UFC 331.
Despite being a heavy -2500 betting favorite against Sean Sharaf at UFC 331, Steveson suffered his first career loss when he was knocked out in just 12 seconds.
The loss has many people down on Steveson now after losing in such embarrassing fashion, but Sonnen still believes in his talent and that he still has what it takes to be a UFC champion.
Chael Sonnen Still Believes in Gable Steveson
Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Sonnen said that his pre-fight opinion of Steveson as a future UFC champion has not wavered despite his shocking KO defeat to Sharaf at UFC 331.
“A week ago, I believed Gable will be UFC champion. Today, I believe Gable will be the UFC champion. If we can all learn something about this, and we keep getting smacked in the face with this same thing: When you are a wrestler and you come into MMA, there’s going to be a built-in narrative that all you can do is wrestle. You’re going to want to resist to that narrative and then you’re going to want to use it as evidence, your performance where you’re out there not wrestling. There should be an urgency. It should be the opposite,” Sonnen said.
“If you were the gold medalist in wrestling, you should be able to take this guy down – the end. And you don’t have to be on the top wrestling. Randy Couture showed us you can wrestle on your feet. You’ve got to make contact and get your hands on that guy. If you don’t bring that skillset with you, with an urgency – I just watched him at RAF; he had an urgency to get his hands on the guy. He had an urgency to take the guy down. He had prioritized this. If you go into MMA and you don’t prioritize that, you’re basically spotting your opponent 10 years of wrestling. … Every wrestler buys into this.”
Chael Sonnen Backs Jon Jones as Head Coach
Although some analysts have suggested that Steveson moves on from his coach and mentor, UFC legend Jon Jones, following the loss to Sharaf, Sonnen believes that Steveson should stick with Jones as he is confident Steveson is with the right man in his corner, especially after he took the bullet for Steveson walking out of the Octagon early.
“As I’ve watched him grow, I’ve been very impressed with him as a coach. I caught a seminar of his, and he was just fantastic. His ability to relay information. … Jon Jones’ post-career, in many ways, is more responsible. In many ways, that very tweet is more manly, more macho. He’s stepping in front of things and taking the heat. He’s very sensitive. Jon Jones gets his feelings hurt on social media. He knew this was going to blow up in his face. But he also knew it was the right thing to do for his guy. I really respected it,” Sonnen said.
UFC Hall of Famer Backs Gable Steveson to Still Be UFC Champ