‘The Bad Guy’ appears to be making a shock return to avoid wasting an upcoming matchup.
Chael Sonnen put together some big wins and impressive performances in his profession before retiring from MMA in 2019.
The MMA legend did dip his toe back into competition last yr with an exhibition boxing match against his former UFC rival Anderson Silva.
While he hasn’t been actively competing for six years now, the 48-year-old has remained a key figure in combat sports and some of the outstanding voices in mixed martial arts.
Now, after Sonnen agreed to a contest on short notice, he looks set to place his money where his mouth is by jumping back in for a remarkable return.
Chael Sonnen has reportedly signed to rematch Craig Jones at CJI 2 on Sunday
This weekend in Las Vegas, BJJ star Craig Jones’ game-changing grappling promotion, the Craig Jones Invitational, is ready to return for its second event.
The vast majority of the main focus is on a tournament format, which is able to now use a team format following some changes that were made after last yr’s debut event.
Nevertheless, just like the previous instalment, Jones was also set to be in motion on the event in a showcase bout that might’ve seen him face Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson.
Shortly after Steveson’s MMA debut was announced, he withdrew from the grappling matchup, which then led to Jones calling out Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen responded with a video on social media where he agreed to the competition, though there wasn’t an official announcement to go together with it.
Ariel Helwani has now reported that Jones versus Sonnen is signed for the Sunday of CJI 2, with the previous UFC star still working the debut Real American Freestyle Wrestling event the day before.
Chael Sonnen will look to avenge his prior loss to Craig Jones at this weekend’s CJI 2
Chael Sonnen and Craig Jones aren’t just two of the largest personalities in combat sports, they’re also former opponents.
The last submission grappling contest that Sonnen took part in was against the Australian star in 2017.
They faced off within the ADCC absolute division in Finland where Jones emerged victorious, beating the UFC legend via heel hook.
Beating Jones in a rematch on such short notice is definitely going to be a tall order for Sonnen this weekend in Las Vegas.