10 Things UFC Wants You To Forget About Chael Sonnen

7. He Was 27-Seconds From Light Heavyweight Gold

With the loss of Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre both happening within the same period, the UFC is desperate to retain some of its dominant champions to use to sell PPV-events. Of their remaining champions, arguably none is more dominant than Jon Jones. With his near-supernatural athleticism, incredible striking technique and superb wrestling skills, it isn€™t exactly hard for the UFC to promote the €˜not quite human€™ image of Jon Jones the 26-year-old brands himself with. In their fight at UFC 159, the coaches of TUF 17 €“ Jones and Sonnen €“ clashed, with Bones looking typically dominant. In a ploy to showcase how insanely well-rounded he is, Jon opted to outwrestle the NCAA Division 1 wrestler and beat him at his own game. He certainly succeeded at this and before long had taken down an overwhelmed American Gangster, raining down his trademark elbows. At 4.33 of the very first round, the referee had seen enough and the fight was over. However, in the post-fight interview it was revealed that despite a seemingly easy victory, Jones had suffered a horrific broken toe. Had the action continued for just 27-seconds earlier, Jon Jones would have lost via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) between rounds and Chael Sonnen would have been the new 205-lbs champion. Sonnen had exposed that no matter how dominant a champion may seem, there are so many unknown quantities that it is impossible for a fighter to ever guarantee a victory €“ this would be confirmed at UFC 162 with Anderson Silva€™s loss. In their quest to promote Jon Jones as the greatest American fighter to have ever lived, the UFC would prefer us to forget that Chael Sonnen was less than half a minute away from dethroning the king (albeit in non-traditional circumstances).