Sonnen (photo) took the UFC's side in the fight with Connor. Photo: Disclosure
Always close to the biggest controversies in MMA, Chael Sonnen could not be left out of the cut Conor McGregor UFC 200 and the Irishman's supposed retirement. Even without direct contact with Ultimate or McGregor, Sonnen presented his view on the case and, based on his experience in the sport, said that Conor's move was a wrong bluff in a contract negotiation.
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“He might have actually stopped… I don’t know if he really stopped. This was a negotiating tool. But he bluffed the wrong guys. They're gamblers, man, they know the Vegas rules. If you announce a bet, it's done. If you go to the casino, you don't put all your money there, you tell the dealer 'I want that bet' and if he says one word, it's already bet. This is how it works for both sides. If you win too, he pays you… Any negotiation where you bluff, man, you better be safe because anything can happen,” said Sonnen, in a Facebook chat.
“Conor had an agreement with the UFC and now he's trying to renegotiate that agreement, but that's not how things work. It can't be like that. You can't have to write and sign everything every time in this business. They have 500 guys under contract. There aren't even that many employees at UFC. I think there are 340 employees and 500 fighters. There are 53 events scheduled for a year that only has 52 weeks. You have to be able to call and count on what the guy says, hang up the phone and be sure that this will happen. You have to be able to trust that. Conor had the contract, he made the deal, somewhere he didn't sign it. Then, he let the event go there, spend the money and realized that now he has an advantage and wants to renegotiate. Who's going to say no to something when the advertising is already done? That's what he did. I guarantee you. No information from inside, but I can guarantee it,” he concluded.
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