10 Chael Sonnen Controversies We Won't Forget

8. Carrying A Fake UFC Belt, Sonnen Declares Himself Champ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF5BIBh-mSM Chael Sonnen was the first man to press Anderson Silva. To really press him. To win four and a half rounds against the Spider in a title fight that shocked the world. And then, with half a round to go, he got caught. He tapped. He also saw an opportunity, even in losing. Don't believe for a second that Sonnen really thought he won that match. What he saw, however, was that really pushing Silva was almost as good as a win. So he went into full heel mode. Sonnen's become better at playing the character of Chael Sonnen (and a lot of what he says is as a character) than most pro wrestlers. People were slow to catch on to the act, however, so when Sonnen showed up on ESPN's Highly Questionable wearing a fake UFC belt, plenty bought into what he was saying: that he really, truly believed he was the real champ. The interview with host Dan Le Batard has some real gems, too: Dan: Correct me if I€™m wrong, but isn€™t Silva the champ? Chael: I will correct you. You are wrong. Then later on: Dan: Chael, you tapped. I saw you tap. I couldn€™t believe that I saw you tap because you were crushing him for four rounds, but you tapped. I saw it. Chael: Well, there seems to be a misunderstanding and a misapplication of the rule process. I thought it was, somebody had you in a tight hold and you could just rub his leg a couple of times and your tag team partner would step in there and help out a little bit. Then they bring me to and they try to explain the rules and there was some kind of confusion and he ended up getting his hand raised in an extremely tainted victory. He wasn't the champ, but he sure knew how to cash in on his newfound celebrity, and he caused quite a stir. It would eventually get him a second shot at Silva. He still had the fake belt at this press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jDQ2McaBDE Priceless.