Chanel Sonnen’s advice to Jon Jones on how to get over with fans

For retired fighter turned media pundit Chael Sonnen, there’s the script most people read from when atoning for a mistake, and there’s the one that best suits this game of cage fighting (which, of course, borrows generously from professional wrestling).

Sonnen, the three-time title challenger, perfected the latter as a talented fighter whose behavior outside the cage frequently soiled his work inside it.

Perhaps it was his own history with misbehavior – and maybe a little inside knowledge of the subject, too – that led Sonnen to correctly predict that Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson wouldn’t take place at next month’s UFC 187. After Jones was arrested in connection with in an alleged hit-and-run over the weekend, he was stripped of the UFC title, and Daniel Cormier stepped in to face No. 1 contender Johnson.

Now, Sonnen is predicting what Jones will say next as the fallout settles from his latest gaffe. And “The American Gangster” predictably has an opinion on what Jones should say to “get over” with the UFC and its audience – if that’s what he’s after.

“For Jon, it is important,” Sonnen told Michael Landsberg on TSN’s “Off the Record.” “He’s going to go PR 101. He’s going to put out some statements, ‘Pray for me, think of my family, support me in this time’ – all of this stuff that’s very boring, but it does have a history of working.

“If he called me, and I’m probably the last guy he should call, the advice I would give him is, ‘Jon, get to a computer and send out the following tweet: ‘If you thought you hated me before…’ and don’t say another word.”

Sonnen and Jones became quick rivals after Jones declined to fight him at UFC 151. The ice between the two largely thawed when they reported as opposing coaches for “The Ultimate Fighter 17,” though that didn’t stop Jones from delivering a one-sided beatdown on the controversial contender at UFC 159.

Sonnen has since called Jones “the baddest dude on the planet.” But despite widespread praise of the UFC’s decision to strip him and suspend the champ indefinitely, he’s not clear on the promotion’s aims.

“You have to take some type of action – I support that, but I don’t fully know what it means to strip a guy of his belt and if you look at the history of fighting, you get stripped for two things – you don’t fight, or you’re unable to fight,” Sonnen said. “That isn’t the situation here.

“I just think if you’re going to part ways with a guy, you cut him completely, (and) you bring him back when you’re ready. I’m not second-guessing the move – I’ve just never heard of it and it’s never been done before.”

Releasing Jones from contract almost certainly would prompt the Viacom-owned Bellator to offer a safe haven, so it’s hard to see why that would be confusing for Sonnen. The UFC needs to take a hard stance so it doesn’t appear as though it’s enabling Jones and ignoring his misdeeds in the name of business. And in the end, it’s a play that could ultimately be more lucrative if people show up to see the redemption of “Bones.”

Sonnen acknowledges that Jones needs to atone for the very serious situation he created when he plowed his rented SUV into a pregnant woman’s car. But when it comes to the image he’s fought so hard to maintain, the retired fighter said it’s time to give up.

“I don’t issue apologies,” Sonnen said. “In this particular case, you’re talking about a crime. This is a little bit different. I think Jon does have a discussion to have here, but he doesn’t need to keep coming out and giving fake apologies. If the guy likes to live a wild life, then go live your wild life. We’ve seen plenty of stars go and do that.

“It depends on what your objective is. I’m talking about getting a guy over and getting the pay-per-view buys. If you’re talking about him cleaning up his image, listen, why bother? You are who you are. If you want to tune in, tune in. I don’t understand why he does it. I think the PR advice he gets, I could pick up any book in the library and tell you exactly the next thing he’s going to say. It’s very standard. It’s template.”

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