Chael Sonnen threatens to "strangle" Ariel Helwani before abruptly ending interview over Francis Ngannou pay dispute
It goes without saying that Chael Sonnen and Ariel Helwani have a magnetic rapport, making their conversations a thrilling experience for MMA enthusiasts. The pair deliver a captivating mix of friendly banters and passionate discussions while touching upon the latest developments in MMA.
However, a fiery exchange unfolded during the recent episode of The MMA Hour featuring Ariel Helwani and Chael Sonnen. What began as a discussion about Francis Ngannou's recent split decision loss to Tyson Fury, swiftly escalated into a heated argument.
During the interview, Chael Sonnen was asked to comment on his initial remarks about the fight. Subsequently, Francis Ngannou's potential earnings from the Fury fight became a major point of contention.
Sonnen contested Helwani's reported figures, which suggested Ngannou might earn somewhere in the range of $10-20 million for the boxing clash. He strongly argued that the pay-per-view event was not as successful as claimed.
The conversation progressively grew more heated, with Sonnen even making a physical threat to Helwani and the MMA reporter repeatedly accusing Sonnen of dishonesty. Sonnen stated:
"Ariel, you keep cutting me off. I don't understand why you do that. I would strangle you if I was there. You come and talk to me all mouthy like this?"
After several minutes of intense back-and-forth exchanges, Sonnen abruptly concluded the interview, leaving Helwani uncertain about whether Sonnen's anger was genuine. This episode recalled their previous disagreements over the business aspects of MMA, which had been a recurring theme during their shared tenure as co-hosts on Ariel and The Bad Guy.
Check out the full segment below (44:00):
Chael Sonnen advocates for a Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury rematch
In the aftermath of Francis Ngannou's awe-inspiring performance against Tyson Fury, the combat sports community is abuzz with discussions about his future. While many anticipated Ngannou to return to MMA following the boxing bout, the Cameroonian's remarkable showing against the Fury has altered the landscape and ignited talk of potential matchups in boxing.
Chael Sonnen, meanwhile, believes that Ngannou missed a critical opportunity in the aftermath of his battle with Fury to set the stage for his next logical fight. Sonnen expressed his thoughts on his YouTube channel, where he underscored the importance of Ngannou's next step.
Sonnen contended that Ngannou should have demanded a rematch immediately after the fight, claiming:
"Francis should have demanded a rematch. He's surrounded by all these fake friends... If they're truly your friends, why haven't they stood up? Why haven't they talked about what a bunch of garbage this was? His real friends did; Kamaru (Usman) did, Izzy (Israel Adesanya) did... Francis should have demanded a rematch right then. Even KSI was smart enough to demand a rematch (against Tommy Fury)... Francis doesn't demand a rematch."
Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below: