When you think of UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, several things likely come to mind. The bravado, the ceaseless trash-talking, his ongoing war with Anderson Silva and Black House. But does "insecure" ever land on that list? Apparently it should, Sonnen explained in an interview with QuickSHOOT! as he continued his promotional tour to hype UFC 136.
I've never been confident going into the ring. I've never been secure. There's no position that I'm secure in... People always ask me, ‘are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready?' I'm never ready, but eventually it's going to be my turn.
Needless to say, comments such as these are stark departure from the brashness fans are used to hearing from the middleweight contender. Yet this isn't the first time. Sonnen had an eerily similar tangent during last week's UFC 136 conference call.
I get sick before every fight... I hear some guys say they're excited (before fights), and I'm jealous of that. I'm never excited to go fight another man.
Whether Sonnen's abrupt candidness is a newfound sense of humility or simply the result of fighting a man he appears to greatly respect in Brian Stann, it is nonetheless compelling theater to watch, and thus a perfect reminder of why he remains such a polarizing fan-favorite despite a year-long layoff.
Sonnen is set to square off against Brian Stann this Saturday at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas, to determine the next challenger to Anderson Silva's middleweight title.