Chael Sonnen: Why Possible UFC Return May Be the Best Thing for UFC and MMA
Initially, it was reported that Chael Sonnen's indefinite suspension at the hands of the California State Athletic Commission would continue—effectively retiring Sonnen from the sport of mixed martial arts forever since it is a common practice for other athletic commissions to honor each other's suspensions.
However, news has recently broken that the commission made a mistake in interpreting their suspension law. Sonnen does not have to wait for a year to seek a renewal of his license and instead can seek renewal on June 29th, 2011.
This is huge news not only for Sonnen, but for UFC President Dana White, for all of the middleweight fighters on the roster, and for all fans who follow MMA.
Love him or hate him, Chael Sonnen is one of the most controversial figures in the sport and is thus a massive draw. With that being said, there are three specific things that can happen if Dana White uses Sonnen and his finely tuned trash talk properly that could be of immense benefit to the UFC and therefore to the sport itself.
The Ultimate Fighter Could Be Saved
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The Ultimate Fighter reality show (or TUF as it is known by MMA fans) has been running for 13 seasons now. Many may argue—and the declining ratings prove their point—that those 13 seasons were quite a few too many.
The truth of the matter is that a large portion of MMA fans feel that the show has become too formulaic and stale; each season feels the same as the last despite the changing personalities (or lack thereof in some cases) of the coaches and fighters each season.
There is a cure to this ill and its name is Chael Sonnen.
There has been a significant amount of press about the next Ultimate Fighter season possibly featuring both Chael Sonnen and the UFC's first and foremost British star Michael Bisping.
Bisping is yet another figure that is controversial and hated by the fans, especially after his sordid antics against Jorge Rivera at UFC 127.
A TUF season between these two figures would be one of the most hyped up of all time and would thus likely be one of the highest rated or, at the very least, it would break the current downward trend.
Interest in TUF would be renewed once more and because of this the lifespan of the show could perhaps be extended several more seasons! TUF is a crucial recruitment tool and it's loss could be disastrous for the UFC's efforts. The importance of reinvigorating the show cannot be emphasized enough.
Who knows, maybe Bisping-Sonnen will do for TUF what Griffin-Bonnar did for the UFC as a whole?
Michael Bisping's Image Could Be Restored and the UFC's UK Market Solidified
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As already mentioned, Bisping lost many a fan at UFC 127 by striking his opponent Jorge Rivera with an illegal blow, spitting at Rivera's corner after the fight and by not making amends with his foe despite Rivera's attempts to do so.
If there is one person who can make the person who does all THAT look good, it is Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen is one of the most hated men in the sport (look no further than the comments section of any article about him for proof) and will no doubt have fans rooting for Bisping once again.
This is reminiscent of what Sonnen did for Anderson Silva. Silva was coming off of three extremely unsatisfying title defenses and fans were more loath to watch Silva than perhaps even Jon Fitch!
Afterwards, Silva's reputation was restored and, if he was not well liked again, he was certainly a figure that people were willing to pay to see—which is perhaps more important than being liked in some ways.
While Bisping may never be a fan favorite, engaging in a feud with Sonnen can only be a boon to his career and his drawing power.
In addition to this, another Ultimate Fighter season featuring Bisping opposite yet another arrogant American wrestler would see the UFC's popularity gains in Britain solidified once and for all. Britain will have become almost a second United States or Canada for the UFC.
Interest in the Middleweight Division Could Be Revitalized
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Anderson Silva has ruled the UFC middleweight division with an iron fist since he first claimed the title in 2006. However, in doing so he inadvertently made the division one of the least exciting in the sport...that was until one night.
The one night where the future of the division seemed uncertain was August 7th, 2010 at UFC 117. That night Silva finally was made to look mortal for the first time in eight years and nearly lost his fight to Sonnen, who many had anticipated would get crushed in the first round.
After Silva's victory over Sonnen, the pattern in the middleweight division of Silva crushing overmatched opponents is seemingly beginning to emerge once more. Vitor Belfort was crushed at UFC 126 and Yushin Okami is not expected to fare much better against the champion at UFC 134.
Should there be a TUF season between Sonnen and Bisping in which the coaches square off at the season's end and should Sonnen win that contest, he would likely be declared number one contender and given another title shot at Silva.
Silva-Sonnen II would be one of the most massively hyped rematches in UFC history, if not the most hyped one. With such a rematch, people would look at the middleweight division not as Anderson Silva's personal playground but as something more.
Should Sonnen be victorious in his second match with Silva, a potential rubber match between the two of them would be one of the most anticipated matches of all time and would perhaps make Silva-Sonnen one of MMA's greatest rivalries.
However, it is important that we keep ourselves grounded for now since all of these potential positives are hinged upon Sonnen getting a spot on the Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Bisping. It has not been determine yet whether or not he would be able to do this under the given circumstances of his license.
Nevertheless, it is perhaps best for the UFC and for the sport that Sonnen gets his license renewed and takes part in the Ultimate Fighter.
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