When Chael Sonnen called himself the "biggest" voice in MMA over Joe Rogan: "I do not give a damn who's on the moon"
Chael Sonnen once asserted that he, and not Joe Rogan, was the biggest voice in the sport of MMA. At the time, former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Sonnen had already retired from MMA. Meanwhile, Rogan had long thrived as a UFC color commentator and podcast host.
Back in June 2022, Jiri Prochazka had defeated Glover Teixeira via fifth-round submission and become the new 205-pound champion in a thrilling clash at UFC 275. Their rematch was booked for UFC 282 (Dec. 10, 2022). Nevertheless, that November, Prochazka vacated the title owing to a serious shoulder injury that ended up keeping him out of action for many months.
In Nov. 2022, Chael Sonnen posted a video to his official YouTube channel, lamenting the supposed lack of fan interest in the Prochazka-Teixeira rematch. Sonnen explained that the top MMA organizations hire analysts to develop a "projection" on how a given matchup would fare financially. He then went on to say that anyone could simply visit his YouTube channel for expert advice:
"Or, you could go to Chael Sonnen's YouTube page for free. There will be absolutely no difference. I am not only audited. I am publicly audited. I am not one of the biggest voices in this sport. I am the biggest. And I understand the arrogance in that statement."
To clarify his stance, he added that Rogan focuses on too many other topics, whereas he is primarily concerned with MMA. Sonnen stated:
"And please don't tell me Joe Rogan is bigger. Joe Rogan has 25 topics, and I have one. I do not give a damn who's on the moon. So when I tell you that I have my thumb on the pulse of this sport at all times, to an exact increment, it does not come with exaggeration. It is audited, but it is publicly audited."
Check out Sonnen's comments below (2:58):
When Chael Sonnen lambasted Joe Rogan for remarks regarding potential Georges St-Pierre vs. Jorge Masvidal fight
When singer Luke Combs joined Joe Rogan on an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast in 2023, Rogan acknowledged MMA legend Georges St-Pierre's greatness. However, he implied that the UFC's inaugural BMF champion Masvidal faced better opposition and would've been a huge threat to a prime 'GSP.' When asked if he was implying Masvidal was at St-Pierre's level, Rogan confirmed and said:
"Yeah."
Watch Rogan's assessment below:
Taking to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen sounded off on Joe Rogan's opinion. Sonnen signaled that former two-division UFC champion St-Pierre was a more well-rounded fighter than Masvidal.
Furthermore, he dismissed Rogan's assessment, saying that his take was based on their respective opposition -- fighters other than 'GSP' and Masvidal -- which was, according to Sonnen, a fallacy. Sonnen said:
"If you do it, we should dismiss you, and we should tell the kids in the backseat, 'That guy is on drugs.'"
Watch Sonnen discuss the topic below (1:31 and 4:44):