Chael Sonnen undeterred by setback at Bellator 170
Veteran mixed martial arts star Chael Sonnen’s return to competition on Saturday night did not go at all as he had planned.
Sonnen was submitted by Tito Ortiz in the first round of the main event of Bellator 170 on Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
While the result and performance were disappointing, Sonnen insists he wasn’t at all discouraged in his comeback.
The former UFC star signed a six-fight deal with Bellator last year and he intends to fulfill it.
“Look, tonight is helpful for me,” he said late Saturday after his first fight since a UFC loss to Rashad Evans in November 2013. “I’ve been out for three years and this was a long-term play. For me, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
Sonnen says he has been working hard in the gym, but realizes there’s no comparison to actual cage time and “game speed.”
He believes the experience will be invaluable even though he was choked out after just 2:03.
“I need to get those minutes in,” Sonnen said. “I thought I did it in the practice room, but I did have some deer in the headlights look out there. Tito threw a right hand right down the middle, there was just some positions, it was helpful, I hate to get stuck in those, I hate to lose in competition, but I got to get some minutes in.
“After three years, that’s just the way it goes. But, I will be in the practice room on Monday and use this to get better.”
When he signed the contract, Sonnen said he planned to beat Ortiz and then move on to a long-discussed bout against Wanderlei Silva.
He still “definitely” wants that fight next, but Sonnen said he didn’t want to try to overshadow Ortiz’s retirement by starting to hype up his fight against Silva on Saturday night.
“Look, I don’t want to use this as a platform to get something going with Wanderlei,” Sonnen said. “This is Tito’s night. It’s his birthday, and he retired and he won fair and square. I was completely ready for the contest. I had great coaches, great training and I don’t think I was too small. Tito thinks I was too small, I don’t think so.
“He got a great position and won the position. As far as Wanderlei goes, yeah, I’m going to fight Wanderlei the next time I see him. But, again, I’m the loser tonight and I am not here to promote anything. This is Tito’s night.”
For his part, Ortiz was pleased to go out with a victory. While he has tried to walk away before, the 42-year-old longtime former UFC champion says this time he will be content because he’s able to walk away on such a high note with a dominant win just up the road from his hometown.
He said he looks forward to living a normal life where he can take his kids to school and get in a nap before they get home in the afternoon.
Ortiz also looks forward to less trips to the hospital.
“All the surgeries I’ve had, and people ask me why I’m retiring,” Ortiz said. “I’m sick of having surgery. I’ve gone through the grinder. I could have quit, but I wanted to do it the right way.”
Ortiz said he hopes to find a job in the sport, either working with young fighters or taking a job with Bellator.
MINOR SURGERY FOR CHAMP
It will be a few more months before UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping puts his title on the line again.
Bisping told Fight Network in Canada he will undergo a procedure to repair a partially torn meniscus and will likely be out of action until May.
The middleweight champ was promoting “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” a film in which Bisping is featured.
Yoel Romero is believed to be the top contender in the division, but it is not yet known whether Romero will wait for Bisping’s return or take a fight.
UFC ON FOX
The UFC returns to network television this week with UFC on Fox 23 on Saturday night in Denver.
Women’s bantamweight contenders Valentina Shevchenko and Julianna Pena will meet in the main event on a card that also includes a welterweight bout between Donald Cerrone and Jorge Masvidal as well as a heavyweight bout between surging star Francis Ngannou and former champ Andrei Arlovski.
The main card begins at 5 p.m., with the preliminary card airing at 3 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.