Chael Sonnen recently spoke with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated Extra Mustard‘s Week In Wrestling, talking about CM Punk’s UFC debut at UFC 203 this Saturday and more in this week’s ‘Five Questions’ segment. You can read a few excerpts below:
Chael Sonnen talks about helping to get CM Punk in touch with Duke Roufus and Roufusport to train for UFC:
Yes, Mike Roberts from my management team put Punk in touch with Duke Roufus. Punk is in good hands, he couldn’t have picked a better place to be. I’m really excited for the Punk fight, and the heavyweight title is also on the line that night. This is something Punk wanted to do, and he’s going to do it well. I talk to him all the time, and I talk to his teammates. He’s made huge gains, and he’s working hard, humble, and disciplined – what more can you want from the guy?
Sonnen talks about if it’s harder to prepare for an opponent like Punk or Gall, and if he thinks Punk will fight again after UFC 203:
When there is no footage, it’s very hard to fight somebody when you don’t know what they do. We used to see that in the boxing world, and this wasn’t even in my lifetime. A guy would hold the belt for twelve years. If you take that in perspective, the way people watched boxing back then was by hovering over the transistor radio. Then video footage and the internet really changed sports, now it is musical chairs with the way titles change. The lack of footage is something Punk has on his side, but Gall is at a real gym with real guys and real goals and I don’t know if that can be said for Punk. Yes, he’s at a real gym and training with real partners, but does he have real goals? Punk is 37 years old, Gall is 24. And Punk is a star, so he’s taking all the media and Gall gets to buckle down and focus on the match. It’s going to be a fun fight, it’s going to be interesting, but regardless of the outcome, I would like Gall to have another fight, win or lose. I don’t know that Punk is going to have another fight. Even if he wins, I’m still not sure Punk isn’t done fighting. He doesn’t need the money and doesn’t need the fame, so he is such a compelling story.
Sonnen comments on what to look for on Saturday, and his prediction for the fight:
When I watched Punk train, I liked the way he attacked. I liked how busy he was with his jab, I like that he finished everything with a kick, I like the way he forces the clench and forces guys up against the fence. When he wasn’t attacking, and the guys were coming after him, I thought that it was a case of Punk’s best defense is a good offense. He started with jiu-jitsu, but I’m not certain he wants to go to the ground with Gall. I think Gall wants to be the one to take him there, so I’ll be looking to see if they’re standing up or they’re on the ground. If I were in Punk’s corner, I would feel a little more confident if he were standing. Punk really respects Anthony Pettis, and I know that he watches Pettis spar, and I’d like to see him standing up. That’s where he focused a lot of his attention, and Duke Roufus is such a good coach, and he is a puncher and a kicker. Punk has been one-on-one with Duke Roufus for the last two years—I would like to spend two hours with Roufus—and he knows what’s going on.
I think this is a pretty quick fight. The nerves are going to help lead to that. It’s Punk’s first time out there, and Gall is getting thrown right into a card with a fight for the heavyweight championship of the world, it’s a big deal. That would lend to both guys’ gas tanks emptying a little quicker, and I’ll give you one prediction: this is over in the first round.
