Fighter pay is one of the biggest issues in mixed martial arts. There are many fighters who complain about not making as much as fighters from other combat sports, like boxers. However, retired fight and MMA analyst Chael Sonnen claims to have made a huge sum as his biggest fight purse.

Chael Sonnen was one of the best fighters to have never won a championship in any of the major MMA promotions. However, his trash-talking skills and the portrayal of a “heel” persona made him a fan favorite. His trash-talk has impressed even Conor McGregor. Moreover, Sonnen had some of the most memorable rivalries in UFC’s history.

Moreover, he successfully transitioned into a fight analyzer, especially for the UFC. Chael Sonnen also has a growing YouTube channel that has over a million subscribers. He recently made an appearance on the ‘Flagrant’ podcast hosted by comedian Andrew Schulz. ‘The American gangster mentioned his biggest payday, which was a big surprise for many.

Chael Sonnen made millions

‘The American Gangster’ claims to have made a big seven-figure sum in one of the biggest fight purses of his career against one of his biggest rivals, Anderson Silva. He said, “The most I’ve ever made was $8.8 million in one night.” Sonnen added, “$8.8 million the second time I fought Anderson Silva.” 

The former UFC star reiterated the instance when he told about this hefty payday to one of his friends. He said, “I told that story one time to a guy named Brian and Brian was a good friend of mine.” Sonnen added, “Brian told me that didn’t happen and then he broke down the math. He goes ‘here’s what the gate was and here’s what the pay-per-view was. They just couldn’t have done that.”

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Nobody wanted to believe Sonnen’s claim of making $8.8 million dollars. Hence, Sonnen decided to stay quiet. “I said yeah. Just like that, backtracked and took it back.”

Fans react to Sonnen’s biggest payday claim

There were many fans who commented on Chael Sonnen’s claim of making $8.8 million dollars in one night. One user on Twitter talks about Sonnen’s weird relationship with telling the truth.

Another fan claims that the $8.8 million payday is a possibility since fighters, during that time, had sponsors of their own.

One Twitter user mentioned that the old owners of the UFC, along with UFC president Dana White, would splash a lot of money on their fighters. He also mentioned the instance when Daniel Cormier was on an underwhelming contract, and Dana White handed him a million-dollar cheque.

A UFC fan believes that only Conor McGregor can make such an amount of money, especially in his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

There were a lot of fans who were skeptical of Sonnen’s claims.

One fan thinks that ‘The American Gangster’ never made $8.8 million in his entire UFC career.

However, one fan claims that the details regarding revenues and the PPV draws are never properly disclosed to the public.

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Chael Sonnen is known for his wild claims. Moreover, to draw a comparison, Francis Ngannou was offered a big money contract, which he rejected. Moreover, the sum was rumored around $8 million and people claimed that it would have made ‘The Predator’ the biggest heavyweight contract in history.

What are your thoughts on Chael Sonnen’s claim? Let us know in the comments below.

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