Jones vs Sonnen: 3 Questions We Have About Chael Sonnen

The 36-year-old Chael Sonnen seemingly squandered the most promising opportunity of his career when he got smashed by Anderson Silva in their rematch at UFC 148.

In a strange twist of fate, however, Sonnen spoke up when no one else would, calling out light heavyweight champ Jon Jones before UFC 151 and ultimately landing an even bigger fight at UFC 159 tonight.

Sonnen, deemed a 5-to-1 underdog (+500) by Bovada.com, will attempt to overcome tremendous odds and dethrone the essentially unbeaten Jones in his third career UFC title fight.

Another loss similar to the one he suffered at UFC 148 might send Sonnen into retirement. A win, on the other hand, would undoubtedly catapult Sonnen into superstardom.

Here are three questions regarding "The American Gangster" heading into UFC 159.

Can He Become the First Man to Take Jones Down?

Sonnen, a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, illustrated his top-flight takedown ability in wins over Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt and Brian Stann, just to name a few.

Sonnen masterfully mixed strikes with shots in his first encounter with Anderson Silva at UFC 117, a fight he lost in the waning seconds of the fifth round via triangle armbar. 

Sonnen did the same in the first round to Silva at UFC 148, but then watched three shots get stuffed by "The Spider" in Round 2 before suffering a TKO loss seconds later.

But flooring fighters like Okami, Marquardt or Silva is an elementary task compared to grounding a champ the ilk of Jones.

In 18 fights, including 12 in the UFC, Jones has piled up 23 takedowns and surrendered none.

Will a Loss Persuade Him to Retire?

Sonnen may land prolific fights because he's willing to go to ungodly extremes with his pro-wrestling-like persona.

But when the dust settles and fight night arrives, Sonnen's relentless chatter only adds to the heaps of pressure he's already facing.

Sonnen picked a pair of fights with Silva, showing promise in each but sputtering and getting finished on each occasion.

The American Gangster now faces an even more challenging task in the freakishly gifted Jones—another future Hall of Famer who got baited into a fight with Sonnen.

But where does a loss to Jones—especially if it comes in devastating fashion—leave Sonnen?

Since he's already part of the team at UFC Tonight, Sonnen could make the transition from fighter to broadcaster if the fight unfolds the way the oddmakers predict it will against "Bones".

Can He Deal with a Massive Reach Disadvantage?

Unlike Jones and his enormous bag of tricks, Sonnen doesn't deviate much from his typical bread-and-butter, wrestle-heavy style.

Essentially, The American Gangster moves forward, remains the aggressor and sets up takedowns with strikes from bell to bell.

However, getting close to Jones, or even landing strikes on him, will prove awfully challenging for Sonnen.

Jones stands 6'4" and possesses an 84.5-inch reach while Sonnen is 6'1" with a 74-inch reach.

The numbers don't lie, and unless Sonnen finds a way to overcome such a devastating reach disadvantage, he'll surely drop his third-straight UFC title bout.