Shortly after Thursday’s press conference for Bellator 208 began, a media member attempted to segue between asking questions to Chael Sonnen and Fedor Emelianenko.
Sonnen wasn’t having it.
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“Why? Why? Why would you ask a question of Fedor? What are you expecting to get from this?” an animated Sonnen interrupted from his seat, cutting off his Russian-speaking opponent onstage at Viacom headquarters in the heart of New York City’s Time Square. “You could take the J train downtown — just ask your question to the Brooklyn Bridge. And architecturally, it would be more stimulating than you’re going to get from Fedor. Have you seen him with his shirt off? Re-think that! Ask me another question.”
So, the particular member of the media obliged, evoking Emelianenko’s power. But this time Sonnen got serious … and in a hurry.
“I don’t want to get hit with that thing,” Sonnen admitted of Fedor’s feared right hand. “I watched so many people be a highlight reel. I have never seen power like this. I couldn’t believe some of the stuff I was seeing. He was throwing punches and coming off his feet.”
That being said, Sonnen predicts that Fedor’s right hand will either be his greatest asset or biggest vulnerability Saturday night, when the two square off in a heavyweight grand prix semifinal at NYCB Live in Uniondale, New York.
And he was rather uninhibited about unfurling his fight game plan for all to see.
“I’m going to threaten and dare him the entire time to get him to swing that right hand and the second he does, I’m going to come underneath him, put him on his ass against the fence and beat a hole in his face for 15 minutes or until he gives up,” Sonnen said without flinching. “He could know that game plan, he could watch me do that game plan. That’s my game plan. He may knock me out with one of those rights hands. I have never dealt with power like I’m going to have to do with Fedor.”
He added: “If I could get to him, it’s going to be a long and annoying night for him. And if he could get to me, it’s going to be a short and embarrassing night for me.”
A pretty simple, realistic approach — not to mention a verbose mouthful — heading into the cage against an opponent, who does his talking with his renowned hands.
When Sporting News asked Emelianenko if anything Sonnen said Thursday irritated him, Fedor grinned and replied through a translator: “I usually try not to pay attention to everything he says. When there’s no media next to Chael, he’s a very good person. Very cultured."
Sonnen is well aware of fight fans widely regarding Emelianenko as the MMA heavyweight G.O.A.T. and he, himself, has called Fedor his "most-dangerous" opponent yet. But showing Fedor that same level of respect in the cage can lead to his lights being cut out quickly Saturday night.
“I’ve watched the Andersons [Silva], [Jon] Joneses, Mike Tysons of the world … and they're all honored to be out there with them and they’re scared to beat them,” Sonnen told SN. “He’s not getting any added respect from me and I’m not going out there happy to be there. I want to fight. I’m going to charge him.”
Entering Saturday night, “The American Gangster” has heard criticism of him doing analysis work for ESPN for the Conor-McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov fight in Las Vegas — which was exactly a week before his own fight.
But he vows that his training camp, consisting of eight workouts a week, has been as rigorous as any and that his budding broadcasting career isn’t a distraction at all.
“This is a simple case of ‘I told you so’ after the fact, where people go ‘I’m really surprised he was able to do all those things and compete so well’ or they go, ‘hey, this guy is just not focused,’” he said about reactions if he wins or loses, respectively. “But I will just share with you that regardless of the outcome of the fight, I am still right. I don’t miss a workout.”
The victor of the Sonnen-Emelianenko fight will face the winner of the Ryan Bader-Matt Mitrione match from the Bellator 207 grand prix semifinal bout the previous night. That final fight will take place Jan. 26 at The Forum in Los Angeles.
“I’m going to have one shot at this,” Sonnen said, “and I’m looking forward to it.”
