20 Quotes by Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen, a former mixed martial artist, was renowned for his exceptional skills in the world of professional fighting and his uncanny ability to captivate audiences with his gift for trash-talking and sharp wit. Known as "The American Gangster," Sonnen's approach to the sport went beyond sheer physical prowess; he strategically engaged opponents with psychological warfare, adding a unique dimension to the fight game.
Throughout his career, he faced some of the sport's most celebrated athletes, displaying resilience and tenacity that earned him a loyal following. Despite not always emerging victorious, Sonnen's impact on mixed martial arts extended beyond the octagon. His unparalleled ability to promote fights and entertain fans through verbal jousting has forever left an imprint on the promotion and marketing aspects of the sport. As both a charismatic competitor and an astute commentator in retirement, Chael Sonnen remains an enduring figure in the world of MMA.
Chael Sonnen Quotes
They'll tell you failure is not an option. That is ridiculous, failure is always an option. Failure is the most readily available option at all times. But it's a choice. You can choose to fail or you can choose to succeed.
You're looking at the reflection of perfection. You're looking at the man who gets all your attention. You're looking at the man with the biggest arm. At the man, with the greatest charm, the man in Chicago who will do harm to the guy three doors down. Whatcha gonna do, when you know who? How ya gonna deal, with the man of steel? How ya gonna react to Sonnen's attack?
If you're not willing to go too far, you'll never go far enough in life.
When you’re the best fighter in the world today, they don’t call you a great fighter. They call you Chael Sonnen.
I found that to build mental toughness, you need to inconvenience yourself. The early morning runs, if you hate early mornings. The late night runs, if you hate late nights. The snowy cold, the worst conditions you can get, put yourself in those and really make it inconvenient and you start to get a genuine expectation of winning for the price you have to pay.
Send anyone you want, but don't send anyone you want back.
When I was young they used to call me 'The Foreman,' not because I was in charge but because I did the work of four men.
As an athlete, you'll never feel bad about losing, but what you will feel bad about is underperforming. That's a real thing and it happens a lot when we don't live up to our potential. And that keeps you up at night and can give you years and years of regret. It could be a relationship, it could be a homework assignment, or it could be an athletic competition. If you don't go out and perform to the best of your ability, it will really bother you.
As soon as you start to get tired, as soon as you start to get behind, as soon as your coach starts yelling at you, a lot of doors open up to quit; you got to find that one reason to stay in that battle, one reason to stay in the fire and fight.
As soon as you hear a fighter say, "I'm working smarter, not harder," you always want to bet against that guy. That mentality does not work. You have to work hard. And sometimes that means you are going to work too hard. You are going to decline. You are going to tear down your body and your muscle fibers. You are going to get sick.
Fighting is an expression. It's a form of speech, and that's why they call it martial arts. It's an art.
Never piss off a gangster.
GSP is good, but don't get me wrong he better stay at 170 with the other midgetts.
When Anderson walks into a room, you can hear a rat pissing on cotton.
If I was mentoring a young fighter, I'd tell him to spend more time on boxing. That doesn't mean I would ignore kickboxing - you still need to learn the defenses - but in stand-up, it's hard to beat good, solid boxing.
You've got to listen to your body, notice some trends in yourself and do the best you can to be ready when a finish line approaches.
They say if somebody has done something you want to do, all you need to do is go out and copy them.
If you can talk the talk but cant walk the walk you'll look like a fool. That's the risk but with great risk comes great reward.
If Michael Bisping ever addresses me in a public comment again, I will bury him where he stands.
If I had nothing to do and I wanted to sit in a dark room and relax, I could at times. But to be busy is very nice. To have things to do and have a schedule.
A Black Belt under the Nogueira Brothers is like saying I got a free toy in my happy meal
Somebody is going to win & somebody is not, and that's fine... But we will never refuse to participate because we're scared to fail.
As a professional athlete I can tell you I feel every single emotion and not one of them ever helped me in a fist-fight before.
There's always pressure and that pressure is earned.
For me, and people like me, fighting isn't what we do; it's who we are.
Say what you want before the fight but when it's done, you accept the result.
― Chael Sonnen Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
