Chael Sonnen is famous for his trash talk and jokes, and it turns out he was using those tactics in his fights from early in his MMA career.
Known as ‘The American Gangster,’ Sonnen nearly grabbed UFC titles in both middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions. But before that fame, he won a title at Gladiator Challenge in November 2003, a moment often overlooked.
He faced Jeremy Lambert, who later became a UFC fighter, for the light-heavyweight title. Referee Herb Dean was there to oversee the match. Sonnen won by decision, but he used a funny tactic to run out the clock that Herb Dean still laughs about today.
Chael Sonnen Faked a Choke to Waste Time and Win
Throughout his Gladiator Challenge title fight, Chael Sonnen was in control against Jeremy Lambert, using his strong wrestling skills. With Randy Couture in his corner, Sonnen seemed to be heading towards an easy win.
However, a funny moment happened when Lambert seemed to lock in a rare Ezekiel choke from his back. Herb Dean explained that this type of choke is hard to do in MMA without a gi and is more common in grappling matches.
Sonnen realized that even if the choke wasn`t real, Lambert trying it would tire him out and keep the fight on the ground. Under the old rules, Sonnen was scoring points just for being in a dominant top position. So, ‘The Bad Guy’ started making fake choking sounds. This tricked Lambert into continuing to try the choke, even though it wasn`t effective.
Herb Dean`s Amusing Encounter with Sonnen After the Fight
Eventually, Herb Dean stood them up, which made Lambert annoyed because he thought he was close to winning with the choke. Sonnen won the fight by decision. Right after the fight, Sonnen had a funny exchange with the referee.
“Chael told me, and I didn’t really know his personality then, ‘that choke wasn’t even close’,” Dean remembered in 2014. “He said he was just pretending it was bad to waste time.”
The really funny part came when Sonnen jokingly blamed Dean. “Then he walks over to Jason and doesn’t see me right behind him,” the referee continued.
“So when he gets to Jason he says ‘you got robbed man, you almost had me with that choke.’ That was one of the funniest moments.”
“Even though he was throwing me under the bus, even during the fight he was having fun and being mischievous. It gave a little peek into his personality.”
