After being in mixed martial arts for over 20 years, Chael Sonnen has finally decided to hang up the gloves for good. ‘The American Gangster’ made the announcement after his TKO loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 and left his gloves in the cage following his speech.
Sonnen began his career in 1997, with the middleweight fighter making his debut in the UFC in 2005 against Renato Sobral, losing to the Brazilian native via submission. However, the MMA fighter would go on to have excellent bouts against Nate Marquardt and Anderson Silva, with notable wins over Maurício Rua, Michael Bisping, and Brian Stann.
Sonnen would then make the transition to Bellator in 2017 after being terminated from UFC and suspended by NSAC for two years due to multiple failed drug tests. The 42-year-old would get mixed results throughout his time in the promotion, with Sonnen losing his last two fights against Fedor Emelianenko and Lyoto Machida.
After the fight, Sonnen clarified to
Ariel Helwani of ESPN that he'll continue to compete in submission grappling. Chael retires with a professional record of 31 wins, 17 losses, and 1 no contest.