'Rampage' lost $30K bet, and Chael Sonnen wants a check – but won't cash it

By: Dann Stupp and John Morgan | January 21, 2018 9:15 am

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – By the end of Bellator 192’s headliner, Quinton Jackson had tallied $30,000 in a lost bet to Chael Sonnen .

Sonnen wants the check – even if he doesn’t plan to cash it.

In Saturday’s Paramount-televised main event at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Sonnen (30-15-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) scored a unanimous-decision victory over Jackson (37-13 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in the opening round of the eight-man Bellator heavyweight grand prix.

Prior to the fight, “Rampage” told Sonnen he’d give him $10,000 for every takedown he scored in the fight (via Instagram ):

A post shared by Chael Sonnen (@sonnench) on

Dec 15, 2017 at 12:42pm PST

Sonnen registered three takedowns – for a cool $30,000 – and wants his rival to issue a check. Just don’t expect him to take it to the bank.

“We’ll see if he’s a man of honor,” Sonnen said after his victory, which came via 29-28 scores. “We did shake on that. But I will tell you, I won’t cash his check. But I expect him to hand me one. What I do with it is my business, but I will tell you I won’t cash that check.”

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In addition to the check, Sonnen got something else from “Rampage”: the knowledge he needs to alter his strategy as he advances in the yearlong tournament, which ultimately determines Bellator’s heavyweight champ. Sonnen, a longtime light heavyweight, weighed a svelte 222 pounds for the fight; “Rampage,” a longtime 205-pounder who’s recently competed at heavyweight, tipped the scale at 253.

“Oh yeah, I’ve got to get better,” Sonnen said. “I’ve got to get better, for sure. I’ve got to make some changes. I didn’t fully know what I was getting into tonight.

“I’ve got some sparring partners that are big, but you know, they’re not as good as ‘Rampage.’ They’re not as strong as ‘Rampage.’ So yeah, I learned a lot in there tonight, and I’ve got to get better. I’ve got to make some changes. I don’t know that I’ll try to get stronger, but some of my movements have to be different, my angles have to be different. But I didn’t know how else to do it. I had to jump in there. The date was set. The contract was signed.”

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In fact, at one point in the fight, Jackson tagged Sonnen with a body shot so stiff that it forced an audible gasp. Sonnen knows he could face similar shots from either Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir – one of whom he’ll meet in the next round of the tourney . Sonnen just hopes he can play it off better next time.

After all, he didn’t have such luck when “Rampage” heard one of those grunts in their fight.

“He dropped his hands and must’ve hit me 10 more times,” Sonnen said. ” … I didn’t have much of a poker face, and I paid for it.”

For more on Bellator 192 check out the MMA Events section of the site.