Bellator 170's Chael Sonnen talked trash, so he showed up post-loss to 'answer for it'

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It was a tale of two taps – one Chael Sonnen thought he might have and one that had him when Tito Ortiz turned the tables.

Although there were immediate rumblings online that Sonnen (18-13-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) essentially gave up to a submission hold that wasn’t completely cinched, he said he missed an attempt on Ortiz (30-14-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) and was caught by a rear-naked choke.

“The choke I was caught in? Yeah, that was tight,” Sonnen told MMAjunkie after his first-round loss in the Spike-televised headliner of Bellator 170 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. “I thought I had him in one, as well. I had my legs on the wrong side, but I thought I had him in one. The one that I was caught in, yeah, that sucked.”

Sonnen used a takedown by Ortiz to reverse position and set up a D’Arce choke and then a guillotine as the UFC Hall of Famer moved to defend. Ortiz waited out the latter hold and quickly took mount, where elbows forced Sonnen to give up his back and set up the fight-ending choke.

A triumphant Ortiz said he’d practiced to take Sonnen’s back, noticing the three-time UFC title challenger had given up the position in the past.

“It felt so easy to get that position,” Ortiz said. “As soon as I see that palm hit the mat, boom, I got the choke. I’m super strong, and if I can get that choke, it doesn’t have to be under the chin. I can get it because I can crush. I just squeezed.

“When he was tapping, I thought he was trying to grab my hands. But I kind of held on to it, because I have ill will toward him. When someone talks about my family, someone talks about my character, I have ill will toward a person.”

Ortiz admitted he apologized to the California State Athletic Commission after holding on to the submission hold longer than necessary. He cited his anger over Sonnen’s pre-fight words in the long and bombastic buildup to their showdown.

Sonnen didn’t hold it against his opponent; he admitted he simply got caught.

“It was a rear-naked choke,” Sonnen said. “He was behind me. I was trying to fiddle around with his ankle, and I was putting pressure and asked him after, ‘Was I close on that?’ I suppose I’d have to see it. I believe he had a rear-naked choke.”

And while the loss started Sonnen’s tenure with Bellator on a down note, he looked at the positives of the setback.

“Tonight’s helpful for me,” he said. “I’ve been out for three years, and this was a longterm play. For me, it’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. I need to get those minutes in, and I thought I did it in the practice room, and I had some deer-in-the-headlights out there. Tito threw a right hand right down the middle right off the bat.

“It was helpful. I hate to get stuck in those, and I hate to lose a competition, but I’ve got to get some minutes in. After three years, it’s just the way that it goes. I’ll be in the practice room on Monday, and we’ll just use it to get better.”

Even when offered a chance to plug his next fight, an already well-hyped meeting with rival Wanderlei Silva, Sonnen deferred to the now-retired Ortiz.

“I’m the loser tonight,” Sonnen said. “I’m not here to promote anything. Going to a press conference when you lose is tough, but it’s protocol. And we all follow different codes. I will say whatever I want before a fight, but by God, I will walk out there and answer for it. And if it doesn’t go my way, I will show up at the press conference and hang my head as well. But this is Tito’s night.”

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