On Tuesday it was announced that Chael Sonnen had failed a random drug test prior to his UFC 175 bout with Vitor Belfort and the next day “The American Gangster” officially retired from the sport of MMA.
On Wednesday’s episode of UFC Tonight on FOX Sports 1, Sonnen made the announcement.
“I want to take an opportunity to officially announcement my retirement from competitive mixed martial arts. I had a great time. I want to thank FOX. I want to thank the leadership of the UFC. I want to thank a man named Bill Brady, who gave me a second wind, if you will. He’s a member of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and he believed in me at a time when I really needed somebody to, and I owe the second wind of my career to him. I am proud to call him a friend. I also want to thank the most important opponent I’ve ever had. I couldn’t have got here without this dance partner, and that is of course you, Anderson Silva. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the invitation to the barbecue, even though I didn’t take you up on it.“
Sonnen (28-14-1) has been out of action since his UFC 167 TKO loss to Rashad Evans. Prior to that defeat, the Team Quest fighter tapped out Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the very first round of their Fight Night main event.
A 17-year career was filled with some very notable moments which included fighting for the UFC middleweight championship twice against Anderson Silva and also taking on Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title.
