You're Welcome! With Chael Sonnen

Tom Aspinall is still a mystery. Eddie Hearn says he is back at full training. Josh Hokit says that is a rules violation. Chael has heard from teammates and none of it adds up the same way. Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira keep the rematch conversation alive and Chael still is not sure it needs to happen. Justin Gaethje has all but said his next fight is his last. Chael believes him and breaks down who that fight should be against and why Ilia Topuria getting an immediate rematch is the wrong call for everyone. Salahdine Parnasse just knocked out Dan Hooker in Paris in round one and Chael says he should be the one welcoming Usman Nurmagomedov to the UFC. Arman Tsarukyan and Parnasse as a number one contenders fight is the biggest draw on the card and the winner should get Gaethje's final. Ian Garry looked around the welterweight division, did the math, and called out Michael Morales. Chael explains why that was a chess move not desperation.

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Chael is in Moscow with Luke Barnatt on Zoom. TUF 17, Chael's first pick, now a promoter, Octagon commentator, and the most well-dressed bouncer in MMA history. Andrew and Tristan Tate are in a Miami detention center fighting UK extradition and Luke has been in their corner for years. He breaks down the political case and why if they touch down on UK soil it is over. Chael asks the one question everyone wants answered: is anyone protecting US citizens from being handed to a foreign government? Tom Aspinall is not coming back. Luke is close to people close to Tom and he is hearing nothing. That is not a small data point. Ateba Gautier, the Cameroonian middleweight destroying Vegas gyms, gets a proper introduction. Luke announces Spirit Fighting Championship, a new MMA promotion launching in Africa on UFC Fight Pass. Ask Uncle Chael covers wrestling technique, Anderson Silva, and how to deal with stupid people.

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Khamzat Chimaev is calling out Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov, and Caio Borralho all at once. Chael sorts out which of those fights actually happen and which one is a waste of a callout. Usman Nurmagomedov is UFC-bound and nobody in the top 15 wants that phone call. Dan Hooker is the only one raising his hand. Chael explains why that's exactly right and why every other fighter in the division is leaving opportunity on the table. Then Song Yadong knocks out Umar Nurmagomedov as a massive underdog in Shanghai, and Chael doesn't think the better fighter won. He breaks down the millisecond that decided the fight, why the Nurmagomedov team style was always going to get caught, and what Song completely failed to do in the post-fight interview that could cost him everything. Usman jumps the cage to get to his fallen brother. Against the rules? Yes. Awesome? Also yes. Henry Cejudo demands an immediate rematch. Chael pushes back hard. Muhammad Mokaev won a championship and wants back into the UFC. Chael says the door might be open and explains why the path there is one of the hardest roads in the sport.

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Tom Aspinall just put out a statement saying he's not leaving the UFC. Chael breaks down what that statement actually says versus what it doesn't, and why the difference matters for the entire heavyweight division. Ciryl Gane is the interim champion. The division has two belts and the worst-selling pay-per-view of last year. Where does this go? Then Paddy Pimblett vs. Arman Tsarukyan is being billed as a number one contenders fight for Justin Gaethje's title. Chael was in Philly, interviewed both men, and came away with one very confident quote from Tsarukyan and one very measured answer from Pimblett. He explains why the sport needs to honor what this fight is supposed to be. Tyson Fury says he didn't train for the Francis Ngannou fight because it wasn't a real fight. Chael explains exactly why that story doesn't hold up. Ask Uncle Chael covers the difference between a hardcore MMA fan and a casual, the state of WWE with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, and why collegiate wrestling is the single biggest advantage any fighter can have.

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Chael just got back from Real American Freestyle in Cleveland and it was the best event they've ever put on. Bo Nickel, Jordan Burroughs, Jason Nolf, Gable Steveson, and Merab Dvalishvili all on the same card. And Merab steps on the mat with two-time Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo and loses. Chael explains why that result means more than people think.  

Then UFC Sacramento: Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez loses to Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues in a war, and Chael makes the case that losing like Fluffy did is its own kind of win, and that he's still one of the best guys in the division who keeps getting passed over for the opportunity.  

Paddy Pimblett rehydrates to 190 pounds and gets called a weight bully. Chael thinks that's exactly backwards and explains why. Then the big story: Paddy Pimblett, Max Holloway, and Gable Steveson all climbed the cage after their UFC 329 wins and the Nevada State Athletic Commission withheld their pay. Daniel Cormier says leave them alone. Chael disagrees, and has the receipts. A broken cameraman's leg and Dan Henderson's torn ACL are exactly where this rule came from.

 

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