Chael Sonnen: Jon Jones Should've Left for Heavyweight While He Had the Chance

Chael Sonnen continues to take the war of words to Jon Jones, stating that the UFC light heavyweight champion simply should've left the division.

Just this past Tuesday, the UFC announced that Jones would be coaching opposite Chael Sonnen for The Ultimate Fighter, with both men fighting for Jones' title next spring.

During that night's episode of UFC Tonight on Fuel TV, Sonnen ripped into Jones, stating that he warned "Bones" this day would come. Sonnen also made sure to reiterate his opinion that the belt didn't truly belong to young champion:

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I've got nobody out there willing to fight me. And little Jon Jon the leprechaun has my belt that I'm coming to take. There wasn't a whole lot of math you had to put into it. 

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Sonnen's claim to the 205-pound title echoes statements made previously when he declared himself the champion by forfeit in the aftermath of the canceled UFC 151 card.

When asked about Jones' reasons for accepting the fight—a match that Jones has openly decried as something that would delegitimize the championship—Sonnen followed up with more pointed quips:

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He should not have been pressured into this. I did everything I could to warn this guy. I held up a big flag that said, 'Hey Jon, I'm coming to the division, which puts you on notice to pack your bags and get out of it.' He was talking about going to heavyweight, and he should have done it. The bottom line is, he waited too long, and now the man has arrived.

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Sonnen also called his canceled UFC 155 match with Forrest Griffin a "faux-faux" fight, dismissing the former UFC light heavyweight champion during the interview.

As a parting shot, Sonnen also took the time to hype TUF's "amazing" young talent, and further predicted that Jones would be teaching his own team to be "selfish, entitled brats."

According to Jon Jones' Twitter feed, filming for TUF will begin early next week. Jones is currently recovering from an elbow injury suffered during his title defense at UFC 152 against former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort.