Chael Sonnen: ‘I appreciate the memories—goodbye’

Chael Sonnen captivated fights fans for years with his work from top-position as well as a microphone in his hand. So for one final time with a mic in front of him, Sonnen went out on his own accord.

“I had a good run. I’m walking out. I appreciate the memories, and goodbye,” Sonnen said in the cage after losing to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222.

Fighting professionally as far back as 1997, Sonnen’s elite wrestling made him Anderson Silva’s toughest opponent, nearly taking the belt from the world’s pound-for-pound king in 2010. The Oregon native left the cage holding his head held high with a record of 30-17-1.

“I feel like I used all of my toughness up,” Sonnen said via MMA Junkie. There was some positions in there that, before in my career, I would have walked right through them.”