Lyoto Machida Pays His Respects To Chael Sonnen After Bellator 222 Win
Chael Sonnen retired Friday night, following his TKO loss to Lyoto Machida. Following this, Machida has some very kind words for his opponent.
Chael Sonnen largely was responsible for selling the Bellator 222 card. Although his bout with Machida was the co-main event, it was largely considered the main attraction. Sonnen did a massive amount of promotion for his fight with Machida, putting the card over.
So, when Sonnen got hit with a massive flying knee in the second round, it was a bit of a shame. Following this, he laid his gloves down in the cage and announced he was walking away, on the mic.
Chael says goodbye. pic.twitter.com/9RPsSevIHT
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 15, 2019
After the event, in the post-fight press conference, Lyoto Machida was asked how he felt about retiring “The American Gangster.” He was not especially excited about it, but instead painted the situation in a different light.
“To be honest, I don’t think anything about that. I feel it’s an honor for me to be part of his history and to share the cage with Chael Sonnen, Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, because I consider those guys are legends in the sport. To be part of their story, for me, I’m so grateful for that.”
Machida was then asked if he felt it was the right time for Sonnen to retire.
“It’s up to him. It’s hard to say anything about that, because you’ve got to respect the time of everyone. If Chael thinks that he has to retire then we just have to respect his decision and appreciate what he has been doing for the sport. He’s considered one of the best in the sport, so you have to respect that.”
MiddleEasy agrees with Lyoto Machida, in that we respect Chael Sonnen in this decision, and wish him the best.
