New Bellator MMA Signee Chael Sonnen: ‘I’ve Got a Higher Juice Concentrate Than Tropicana’

Chael Sonnen was a perennial contender at his peak and he was without question among the best in the world in his division. His immense talent nearly got him the UFC’s middleweight championship when he dominated all-time great Anderson Silva until he succumbed to a last-round triangle choke at UFC 117.But aside from his triumphs in the cage, Sonnen has long been one of the most polarizing fighters in the sport. He transformed himself from a regular contender into a first-class heel with his mastered trash talk, bravado and self-promotion. People either loved or hated him, but when his initial MMA career was effectively over a few years ago amid three performance-enhancing drugs scandals, he became public enemy No. 1 in the sport. Sonnen last competed at UFC 167 in 2013, when he was stopped by Rashad Evans in the first round. He had lost three of four at that point and his retirement, coupled with his PED issues, appeared to mean the end of the line for the Oregonian. He was still floating around the sport as a radio and television personality, but the life of Sonnen the fighter was over. Until now. “I went back and forth a little bit,” Sonnen told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown Show” about his return to active competition. “I’ve been in the principal’s office for a good couple of years now. I started taking the physical actions like losing the weight, getting back in shape and doing the sparring. I’ve been ready to go for a while now.” It was revealed last Thursday that Sonnen …

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