Chael Sonnen: Ready to Embrace the Hard Night Ahead

"Your success depends mainly upon what you think of yourself and whether you believe in yourself."—William Boetcker

In many ways truer words have never been spoken.

Self belief is a key component to finding success in life, and perhaps even more so in the realm of athletics. Far too often the human will is overlooked and underappreciated and while it is difficult to measure and account for it can never be taken for granted.

Case in point is Chael Sonnen.

Anyone who has been around or talked with Sonnen knows that he believes in himself and his abilities. Some may call him cocky, but it is that unbreakable self belief that has gotten Sonnen to where he is today.

 While he may be a heavy underdog on paper going into his upcoming showdown with Nate Marquardt at UFC 109, Chael Sonnen knows what’s in store for him and he knows what he must do.

“Work hard. This is going to be a really hard night and I plan to embrace that.”

Between the confidence that he has in himself and his willingness to put in the work, Sonnen is a very real threat to Nate Marquardt’s title hopes. His Olympic level wrestling ability will sure not hurt his chances either.

Speaking of Olympic wrestling, Sonnen has this to say about welterweight kingpin, Georges St. Pierre’s desire to chase the Olympic dream:

“It’s not real talk, it’s just random speak. Hypothetically, I think he could surprise some folks if he got into the right environment. Canada’s wrestling is almost as weak as their Military, so he may break into the top eight. He wouldn’t in this country. He is awesome at his sport. I hate to compliment fighters but I just can’t ignore his skills. I’ve never seen an athlete like him.”

To many, Sonnen comes across as a pompous, arrogant prick but in actuality he is just a guy that is not afraid to call it like he sees it.

“It’s not bold, it’s called the truth,” Sonnen said when asked about his motivation to call out Anderson Silva . “It’s new in MMA, but if you bear with me, you will find that the truth isn’t as bad as you think.”

For those fans who feel as though Randy Couture v. Mark Coleman is no longer a main event worthy fight and that it is unfair to subject fans to such a lackluster card on PPV, Sonnen did not mince his words.

“Oh really, I wasn’t aware of that. I hear ticket sales were great,” said the long time Team Quest member. “Mark Coleman is an interesting choice for a Main Event, but if he can work the media correctly and bring interest to the match then fine. So far, I don’t think he’s done that but there is still a week left. Randy on the other hand is an absolute professional. He ‘Get’s It’, and people will never miss one of his matches, me included.”

UFC 109 should be a great night of fights, and if Sonnen brings his best don’t be surprised to see the Nate Marquardt title train get derailed.