Did Chael Sonnen get ringworm ahead of a UFC fight?
Chael Sonnen discussed the different types of skin infections that MMA fighters commonly suffer from after rumors of Conor McGregor having a staph infection flared up a few days ago.
A picture posted by 'Notorious' in the lead-up to his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 left fans worried about a reddish-brown mark on his left elbow. Many wondered if it was a staph infection, but Conor McGregor soon clarified in response to a Twitter fan that it was just a bruise from elbow strikes in training.
Chael Sonnen discussed the matter in his latest YouTube video and then went on to talk about the time he developed a skin condition ahead of a fight.
It appears Chael Sonnen suffered from ringworm a day before his Bellator 170 fight against Tito Ortiz, which he lost via submission to a rear-naked choke.
"Another one that's very common is ringworm. And the only thing gross about ringworm is that it has got the word 'worm' in the name. Ringworm - red, round, and raised, and it itches you a little bit - likely you have ringworm," Chael Sonnen said about ringworm.
He then talked about the quick remedy he settled for to take care of the ringworm before the fight.
"I have a fight on Saturday. I have already weighed in. It's Friday. I break out with ringworm, and not just one, which I have gotten my entire life. When I get ringworm, it's one. I get like seven of them. All over. I gotta go on TV the next night with my shirt off and I gotta pass a skin check to get there. I'm desperate."
Chael Sonnen described how he took a 'Hail Mary' approach to fix the problem. His sister went to the store to get Clorox bleach and a q-tip applicator. The solution worked but left even redder marks 'for the world to see' once the chemical burned off the ringworm.
Watch the video below:
Dominick Cruz tweeted about Chael Sonnen's ringworm
Chael Sonnen also brought up how Dominick Cruz tweeted about his ringworm. However, Chael Sonnen mentioned Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as his opponent, while Dominick Cruz's tweet came during the former's fight with Tito Ortiz.
Chael Sonnen faced Tito Ortiz at Bellator 170 in January 2017, while he went head-to-head with 'Rampage' Jackson at Bellator 192 a year later, in January 2018.
Fans expressed concerns over the marks on Chael Sonnen's shoulders after the Tito Ortiz fight, wondering why Bellator let him compete with an active infection.
Watch the full video of the fight below, where you can spot the red marks on Chael Sonnen's shoulder-upper arm region.