Chael names the heavyweight G.O.A.T.

Bellator MMA’s Chael Sonnen appeared recently on The MMA Hour, and discussed who is the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time. The conversation came after a loss to Fedor Emelianenko in the semi-finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix.

I have it down to three, said Sonnen, as transcribed by Jose Youngs for MMA Fighting. My three might surprise you and I actually enjoy this topic. I have Fedor in the conversation, I have Werdum in the conversation but I‘m always surprised people don’t say [former UFC champion] Josh Barnett in that conversation. I feel like they weren’t watching back in 1999 and 2002 and 2003.

So I have those three guys. What order do you want to do it? I would probably put Fedor at number one. I love the debate, but for me it’s down to those three.

I think Cain [Velasquez] took himself out. How disrespectful, but Cain sits in the locker room too much to put him on that list. He had some fantastic moments and I’m not sure there was anybody alive that could beat him. But all we can do is discuss that because he just didn’t walk out there and show it enough.

But these are just conversations anyway. It comes to down to popular opinion. You’ve got to be able to out-argue the guy across from you. That’s how these pound-for-pound greats last. But I do think Cain shortened himself. He was the most intimidating heavyweight when he was in there. I’d put him right up there with George Foreman as far as the scariest guys to get into the ring with. But I kind of have him as a fourth or a fifth and out of the conversation.

I’ve had to break a lot of rules in my career too and I’m not talking about laws. There are rules that say ‘if a fighter gets old, when a fighter slows down, when a fighter stops looking the same then he can never come back.’ I don’t like that. I’ve never been in a situation where you don’t use that as motivator and use that use that tape and use that footage to get better.

But there seems to be a rule out there where when you look bad against a Fabio Maldonado that it’s over. You’ve got to break those rules. You can’t let it apply to you and I don’t think Fedor let it apply to him. He started training differently and that’s what a real fighter does. He gets better and finds a way to come back and I admire that in anyone that can do it. But I also look down on the guys that can’t. Don’t let that stuff stick to you.

Fedor fights reigning Bellator light heavyweight Ryan Bader for the vacant heavyweight title on January 26 at the The Forum in Los Angeles.