Sonnen (photo) will become an event promoter. Photo: Disclosure
One of the most notorious names in MMA during his years as a professional athlete, the controversial Chael Sonnen, who has been retired since mid-2014, will soon begin his career as an event promoter. The loudmouth announced the launch of the “Submission Underground” grappling tournament, which will have its first card promoted in July.
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“When I left MMA, I started fighting submission. I went to fight at Metamoris and had a great experience. And I understood very quickly that grappling participants beat MMA participants by a ratio of 15 to one. I went to the gym and we have hundreds of people there. I used to be in MMA gyms, I've been with six, seven or eight guys in the same room. So, I understood, 'man, we have all these participants. These guys need a place to compete.' So, I found myself in this situation. I started saying yes to every grappling opportunity that came my way. I never said no. That was the genesis of it: just giving guys a place to compete. But we needed the right partner, as with everything in life. And now we have this partner”, said Sonnen, in an interview with the North American website “MMA Fighting”.
“Submission Undergound” will feature a slightly different set of rules than usual in grapple, based on the guidelines of the “Eddie Bravo Invitational”. There will be an eight-minute fight without scores, with victory only possible through submission. In case of a draw, there will be up to three overtimes, in which the fighters choose a starting position and try to submit their rival. In this case, whoever finishes and is not finished wins. Finally, if the tie persists, the winner will be determined by the shortest time to escape the opponent's position.
To attract the attention of MMA fans, Sonnen chose not to hold his fights on a mat, as is customary. Instead, the fights will take place in a cage and will be announced by Bruce Buffer, announcer from the UFC. The first edition of “Submission Undergound” takes place on July 17th, in Portland, Oregon (USA) – Sonnen’s home state.
Check out the card announced so far below:
Jake Shields x Ben henderson
King mo Lawal x Vinny Magalhães
Kenny Florian x Filipe Costa
Ricco Rodriguez x Fabiano Scherner
Jens Pulver x Nathan Orchard
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