Chael Sonnen is Mma's largest trash can and makes his name as the “unbeaten world champion” of the UFC (according to him).
Chael Sonen even lost a lot in the UFC and never managed to win the world title, but not let him stop – he built fights using his mouth before he supported it in the Octagon.
Sonnen is now retired and is one of the most controversial voices in MMA and remains relevant years after his last fight.
Here is everything you need to know about Chael Sonnen.
Photo by Leandro Bernardes/Pximages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
How old is Chael Sonnen?
Chael Sonnen was born on April 3, 1977, making him 48 years old from June 2025.
He was born in Clackamas County and grew up in the average streets of West Linn, Oregon, where he started to train in struggling and boxing while he went to high school.
Chael Sonnen's length, weight and range
Sonnen is six feet an inch, which is equal to 185 cm. He participated in countless weight classes, especially in the middleweight (185 pounds) and slightly heavyweight (205 LBS).
Who is Chael Sonnen's wife?
Sonnen was married to Brittany Smith, and the couple married in July 2013. The couple has a son together and had a daughter who died in 2016 as a newborn.
Why is Chael Sonnen's called 'The American Gangster'?
Sonnen approved the nickname 'The American Gangster' as part of his satirical, exaggerated Persona during his time in the UFC.
He used the name to make jokes about his upbringing in Oregon and pretended to have a heavy upbringing compared to his opponents, such as Anderson Silva.
Chael Sonnen's UFC record
Record (Wld) (T) KOSUB30-17-17-75-9
Chael Sonnen's Net Worth
According to Celebrity, Sonnen is worth $ 4 million. He earned this money during his career as one of the best hunters in the UFC history and used his loud mouth to sell his fights in large numbers.
Is Chael Sonnen retired?
Sonnen withdrew from MMA in 2019 after losing Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222. He suffered a TKO loss on the second round after he was hit by a flying knee and a series of punches.
Chael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva
Sonnen came so close to becoming the world champion in one of the biggest comebacks in the UFC history.
He dominated Anderson Silva four rounds before Sonnen was caught in an arm bar just three minutes before the end of the fight.
He was forced to tap, although Sonen set up one of the most impressive displays in the UFC history, despite walking without the title belt.
Chael Sonnen vs Jon Jones
Sonnen became almost world champion in the UFC, if he could have lingered for thirty seconds in his fight against Jon Jones.
Sonnen originally accepted a fight with Jones on UFC 151 in the short term, but the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion refused to face him on the advice of his coach.
The pair finally closed the horns on UFC 159, where Jones won in the first round via TKO.
However, he suffered a broken foot during the fight, which means that Sunen had achieved the first round, he would probably have received the victory and the world championship.
Chael Sonnen vs Wanderlei Silva
Sonnen recorded Wanderlei Silva in his second fight in Bellator and took a huge victory over the Brazilian hunter in 2017.
All three of them ran the rounds, with Sonnen a unanimous decision victory on the back of a loss for Tito Ortiz in his Bellator debut.
Chael Sonnen vs Tito Ortiz
Sonnen made his debut in Bellator at Bellator 170 and took on former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz in a huge dream fight.
Unfortunately the game ended badly for the “villain”. Sonnen was trapped in a coded choke in the first round and was forced to submit after just two minutes.
Chael Sonnen in Professional Wrestling
Sonnen's loud-mouth person seemed to be tailor-made for professional wrestling, which is logical because he initially intended to become a wrestler before he was successful in the UFC.
De Beeks had a try -out with WCW in the late 1990s and earned a place in the promotion.
By the time he finished the university, the company was closed and he no longer had a place in the company.
Sonnen later worked as a commentator for Global Force Wrestling in the years 2010, but never struggled a competition.