Chael Sonnen isn’t that bad of a guy, right? I mean, he offered to step in to fight Jon Jones on short notice before that incident, then he actually got that fight because the UFC brass thought it would sell PPVs. Now he has once again talked himself into a pretty big fight, this time on incredibly short notice. The fight? Against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 161 on June 15th.
This reaffirms Sonnen’s place as a “company man” within the UFC as he steps in to “save” another card that was in peril. UFC 161 was originally set to include a Bantamweight Championship bout between Interim Champion Renao Barao and Eddie Wineland before Barao’s injury, which pushed Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson up to the main event. This left Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogeuira, better known as “Lil Nog” as the semi-main event. Without that fight the card was looking a little bit weak, so Sonnen has saved the day.