Chael Sonnen: "I'm the Best MMA Wrestler in the World, Only GSP Can Dispute It"

When it comes to taking people down, Chael Sonnen believes he is better than every MMA fighter in the world, except for maybe UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre.

The self-proclaimed Oregon gangster is confident he's going to shock the world at UFC 159 by taking down Jon Jones repeatedly and winning the light heavyweight title.

During the extended preview for UFC 159, Sonnen claimed to be the best MMA wrestler in the world and credited St-Pierre as the only fighter with the ability to claim otherwise:

"

"I'm the best MMA wrestler in the world, and that can only be disputed by Georges St-Pierre. I do acknowledge that Jon is very good, but he's not me."

"

Sonnen has landed more takedowns than any other fighter in UFC middleweight history.

According to UFC.com, he has a total of 44 takedowns with a 59-percent success rate, while St-Pierre totals in at 84 takedowns with a 75-percent success rate.

Luckily, Sonnen isn't competing with St-Pierre's takedown stats; his only concern is whether or not his wrestling is strong enough to put Jones on his back and keep him there. Jones, who has never been taken down in his UFC career, actually has a higher takedown percentage than Sonnen, according to UFC.com.

This lone stat certainly won't change Sonnen's opinion. While MMA wrestling is its own monster, you would be hard-pressed to denounce Sonnen's confidence after years of accomplishment in collegiate, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

In August 2010, he nearly shocked the world when he put on a wrestling clinic and came within two minutes of dethroning middleweight champ Anderson Silva. Can he put on a similar performance against Jones?

Unfortunately, history isn't on Sonnen's side. His combined UFC and WEC record in title bouts stands at 0-3. He may be the "best MMA wrestler in the world," but it could take more than takedowns to derail a champion like Jones.

Sonnen continues:

"

"I don't know that Jon's vulnerable to anything. He's a good, solid, complete guy. At the same time, he's never been in there with a gangster before. He's never had an experience like this one."

"