Chael Sonnen speaks after UFC announces his fight with Anderson Silva is going into Hall of Fame: “I was very grateful”

By Josh Evanoff - April 16, 2024

Chael Sonnen couldn’t believe that his fight with Anderson Silva was being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Chael Sonnen, Anderson Silva

Over the weekend, the company held its historic UFC 300 event. The headlines naturally focused on the action going down in the cage, such as Max Holloway’s knockout win over Justin Gaethje, and Alex Pereira’s destruction of Jamahal Hill. Lost in the madness, is that Chael Sonnen will become a Hall of Famer.

During the pay-per-view broadcast, ‘The Bad Guy’ was called down to the floor. Producers told Chael Sonnen that he would be doing a segment for the show, but instead showed him to a seat. On the big screen, they showed footage of his famed 2010 showdown with Anderson Silva. Sonnen lost that bout by fifth-round submission after ‘The Spider’ had one of the most shocking comebacks ever.

With that, Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva will be inducted into the UFC’s Fight Wing of the Hall of Fame this summer. Speaking on his Good Guy, Bad Guy Podcast alongside Daniel Cormier, the former fighter discussed his experience. According to Sonnen, he didn’t even believe he was going to be inducted as it was happening.

However, he’s nonetheless grateful for the gesture from the UFC. Sonnen added that his first loss to Anderson Silva used to keep him up at night, and it still does. However, with the fight now being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the defeat keeps him up for a different reason.

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Chael Sonnen discusses UFC Hall of Fame induction for Anderson Silva fight

“I’ve got to tell you, that thing was so fun.” Chael Sonnen stated on the podcast when asked about his reaction to his fight with Anderson Silva being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. “I never really envisioned this and Glenn Jacobs helped set it up. I had no idea until that came out of Jon Anik’s mouth. Even when he said it he didn’t say my name, he said ‘The Bad Guy’, and I sat there. Daniel, I thought, well they used to call me the bad guy. I had one of those moments.”

He continued,”It was just so fun, it was so exciting… It was very cool, and I was very grateful… I’ll tell you Daniel, I’ve never felt good about a loss. Nothing has changed in my life, like I didn’t wake up and all of a sudden they reversed the decision. Or I wake up, and I got a rematch and I beat him. But I got some praise, and I must tell you it feels good to get a pat on the back.”

“…I mean one of the worst moments. The one that’s kept me up at night,” Chael Sonnen concluded. “Is now the one that keeps me up from excitement. I lost, and that’s a little bit weird, but here I am.”

What do you make of these comments? Are you happy to see Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen going into the UFC Hall of Fame?