Chael Sonnen weighs in on hot topics in mixed martial arts on his YouTube channel regularly, touting over 305,000 subscribers who hang onto his every word.
"I set up a studio, brand new," Sonnen told Sporting News earlier in the week. "I had been renting one for four years, and I just went out and got one of my own. The studio from my house is less than one mile.
"My career started as a fan," he continued "and my career will end as a fan."
Before the latter happens, Sonnen could manufacture his latest talking point with a win over Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, live and exclusively on DAZN.
Join DAZN and watch Bellator 222 plus more than 100 fight nights a year
All promotion long, "The American Gangster" has maintained that he wants to defeat Machida to exact revenge for his Team Quest stablemates, Randy Couture and Dan Henderson, who "The Dragon" beat in UFC.
"I thought as a team, we got closer and closer, but that's a tough puzzle to solve," Sonnen said. "Machida's got some very unique skills. He does stuff that other guys don't do. If you're one guy who runs through Team Quest, you've got quite the feather in your cap and he will deserve that ... if he gets it done."
Sonnen believes he has the apt strategy to combat Machida's karate-based style.
"I am very confident that at some point in this fight, he has to throw a kick," Sonnen asserted. "No matter how many times I talk to him or beg him or dare him, I don't think he could resist doing it. At some point, he's going to throw a kick, and I will run his ass down as soon as he does."
Machida told SN that a win over Sonnen should grant him a title shot.
"I want the belt," Machida said. "I'm not here to play around. I've been saying that since I signed with Bellator."
Sonnen expects the same if he's victorious, even spouting some choice words for heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader as if he's the reigning double titleholder of the promotion.
"I don't like Ryan Bader," Sonnen said bluntly. "I'd be the biggest fight Ryan Bader ever got. I'd be the biggest fight Ryan Bader and his little meager career could ever get. I don't know if I want to give it to him."
He could ponder that more thoroughly with a win over Machida first.
The light heavyweight tilt between Machida and Sonnen will serve as the co-main event to Rory MacDonald vs. Neiman Gracie in the semifinal of the Welterweight Grand Prix at Bellator 222.
What time does Bellator 222 start?
Bellator 222 takes place on Friday, June 14. Action begins at 6:30 p.m., with the main card starting at 10 p.m. Machida and Sonnen are expected to enter the cage at around 11:30 p.m.
Where is Bellator 222?
Bellator 222 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It's the third straight weekend of fighters headlining MSG, following Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. and Gennadiy Golovkin vs. Steve Rolls.
How to watch, live stream Bellator 222
Bellator 222 is available on DAZN, the global live-sports streaming service.
A new subscriber to DAZN can sign up for a monthly subscription or annual pass to watch the fight. The annual pass — which includes access to all of DAZN’s live events, as well as highlights, replays, behind-the-scenes features, original shows and live reports — is $99.99, which averages out to a little over $8 a month. For those who want a monthly-plan instead of the longer-term value, fight fans can sign up for a monthly option for $19.99.
For current subscribers, the fight is already included as part of your plan.
Where can I stream DAZN online?
DAZN can be live-streamed via smartphone, computers/laptops via DAZN.com, tablets, smart TVs, set-top boxes and video game consoles. Here is a list of DAZN-supported devices:
| Mobile Devices | TV & Streaming Devices | Game Consoles |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad | Amazon Fire TV | Playstation 3 |
| Android phones, tables | Amazon Fire TV Stick | Playstation 4, Pro |
| Amazon Fire tablet | Android TV | Xbox One, One S |
| .. | Apple TV | Xbox One X |
| .. | Google Chromecast | .. |
| .. | LG Smart TV, Smartcast | .. |
| .. | Panasonic Smart TV | .. |
| .. | Samsung Smart TV | .. |
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Lyoto Machida record and bio
- Name: Lyoto Machida
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Born: May 30, 1978
- Height: 6-1
- Reach: 74″
- Total fights: 33
- Record: 25-8
MORE: Machida talks about his passion for ... cooking?
Chael Sonnen record and bio
- Name: Chael Sonnen
- Nationality: American
- Born: April 3, 1977
- Height: 6-1
- Reach: 74″
- Total fights: 47
- Record: 30-16-1
Bellator 222 fight card
Main card
- Rory MacDonald (c) vs. Neiman Gracie for MacDonald's Welterweight title and grand prix semifinal
- Lyoto Machida vs. Chael Sonnen; Light Heavyweight
- Darrion Caldwell (c) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi for Caldwell's Bantamweight title
- Eduardo Dantas vs. Juan Archuleta; Bantamweight
- Dillon Danis vs. Max Humphrey; Catchweight (175 lbs.)
Preliminary card
- Aaron Pico vs. Adam Borics; Featherweight
- Ricky Bandejas vs. Patrick Mix; Bantamweight
- Brandon Polcare vs. Brandon Medina; Flyweight
- Mike Kimbel vs. Sebastian Ruiz; Bantamweight
- Heather Hardy vs. Taylor Turner; Women's Flyweight
- Haim Gozali vs. Gustavo Wurlitzer; Welterweight
- Phil Hawes vs. Michael Wilcox; Middleweight
- Kastriot Xhema vs. Whitney Francois; Catchweight (165 lbs.)
- John Beneduce vs. Kenny Rivera; Featherweight
- Robson Gracie vs. Oscar Vera; Welterweight
- Rena Kubota vs. Lindsey VanZandt; Catchweight (112 lbs.)
- Valerie Loureda vs. Larkyn Dasch; Women's Flyweight
