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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=355962" target="_blank">
Chael Sonnen: I don’t talk trash
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<strong class="ArticleSource">[fightopinion.com]</strong>
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<p>Chael Sonnen was recently interviewed on Mauro Ranallo's <a href="http://radio.thescore.com/episodes/the-mma-show-october-4?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FightShow+%28The+MMA+Show+with+Mauro+Ranallo%29" target="_blank">The MMA Show</a>.</p>
Mauro Ranallo: Why has there been so little trash talk for the Brain Stann fight?
Chael Sonnen: “Look, I don’t try to get under someone’s skin. I don’t talk trash. I hear that said about myself but I don’t do that. I’m the most respectful guy in the sport. The difference is I’ve got a different opinion of what respect is. A lot of guys think it’s to be fake. A lot of guys think it’s respectful to bow to your face and stick a knife in your back when you turn around. I will tell you to your face that when you turn I’m going to put a knife in your back and then I’ll do it.
MR: What kind of game plan will you implement against Stann?CS: “What’s a game plan? What does that mean? You got a bunch of guys with their 8th grade educations and their gold teeth sitting around trying to break down a fight. Listen, it’s a fist fight in a steel cage in Texas on Saturday night. There is nothing more simplistic in life than that. I don’t exactly need a plan. I walk out there when the guy in the shark suit gets out of my way and the referee with the dreadlocks says ‘get it on,’ I get it on.”
MR asked him about the suspension and if he would fight in California again after issues relating to ‘elevated testosterone’ levels.CS: “First off, shame on you for putting out a false report. Not only did I not have elevated testosterone (levels), I was never even accused of that. The state of California never even accused me of that. Josh Gross went on ESPN and falsely reported that. I was never even up against those charges. I took testosterone and testosterone is 100% legal and shame on you as a member of the media for not coming out and not blasting the commission for that. I took testosterone, I offer no apology. Testosterone is not a banned substance in any of the 46 states that govern MMA or the two provinces in Canada. It is completely legal. They banned me for taking a legal substance and I never took an elevated amount, ever. I was never even accused of that other than by Josh Gross who got it on ESPN and by then it was all over the wire.
“They don’t know their own rules. I’m not trying to be condescending, I’m not trying to do any of those things but it’s that frustrating. They brought me in for taking testosterone. I had to explain to them that it’s not against their rules. They said, ‘hey, you took testosterone,’ and I said, “I sure did.’ I said, ‘look on page three of your own rule book, testosterone is legal.’ There’s very few things that are legal, you know, it’s a very sensitive list. Caffeine, for example, is illegal. Aspirin’s illegal, so it’s very sensitive. Testosterone is one of the few things that’s legal. So, they turn to page three and say, oh my goodness, he did take a legal substance, what do we do now?
So, they changed the argument. Right on the spot, they changed the argument to a disclosure issue. And that wasn’t what I was brought there for but of course I was ready for that and I had disclosed it. I disclosed it four different ways, three of which I could prove in writing and I submitted that. So, they changed the argument on me again and they just continue to do that and ultimately they said, all right, let’s just split the difference. We wanted to suspend you for a year, how about we just do six months? Well, there’s no such things. I break a rule, I serve a year, that’s it. If I didn’t break up a rule, you apologize and I get up and leave now. Of course, name one government agency that’s ever going to admit fault. So, they stick me with a six month suspension and now here, a year later, I’m on a radio show with a guy that still thinks I have elevated testosterone. I was never even accused of that. Josh Gross made it up.”
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Sonnen stated that he had changed up his management & training team in preparation for Saturday’s fight. He’s now training out of Scott McQuary’s facility in Tualatin, Oregon with coach Clayton Hires. He described the state of Team Quest as “a big revolving door … I think the rain gets to (people) a little bit in Portland.”
Sonnen admitted during the interview, albeit briefly and stopping himself before completely elaborating, that he cleared house and changed up his management team because of the way certain things were handled.
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Listen to entire interview...
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