Jul. 7, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Chael Sonnen in the ring during a middleweight bout in UFC 148 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE
After his second loss in the middleweight championship to Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen is making the jump up to 205-pounds. Sonnen announced on UFC Tonight that he would be facing off against fellow fan favorite Forrest Griffin in the UFC’s year end show which takes place December 29th in Las Vegas.
“I’ve watched him win the world championship, I’ve watched him etch his name in stone as a guaranteed future Hall of Famer, you and I and the whole world together watched him be a large part of creating and changing the industry that we have today. He’s one guy Jon Jones hasn’t fought, he’s beat two world champions in his last three outings, and on December 29th I will be taking on Forrest Griffin,” Sonnen announced.
“Sure I could go up to 205 and I could take Jon Jones’ belt away the same as I could take his candy on Halloween, he’s a little punk kid, I could snatch it away all I want, but there’s something to be said in sportsmanship for earning your shot, and on the 29th of December, I’m going to go through Forrest to do it.”
The December 29th fight card will be headlined by a rematch for the UFC heavyweight title between champion Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
A win in the light-heavyweight division against Griffin could set Sonnen up for one last title run before he calls his career quits.
Sonnen and Griffin previously fought in 2003 at the IFC Global Domination tournament. Griffin got the best of Sonnen that night by — you guessed it — triangle choke.
The two fighters are among the fan favorites in the organization so the fight will surely be a big draw.
Here is video of Sonnen vs. Griffin I:
