From: officialflagrant
The world of combat sports, particularly MMA, thrives on compelling narratives, often defined by the archetypes of the “heel” (villain) and the “face” (hero). Chael Sonnen, a self-proclaimed master of building fights, emphasizes that a great fight is nothing more than a great story, not necessarily about a champion or an undefeated record [03:02:04]. He believes that true engagement comes from a narrative that involves the “five W’s”: who, what, when, why, and where, with “why” being particularly crucial [02:55:00].
The Art of the Bad Guy
Sonnen refers to his approach as “the art of the bad guy,” recognizing that there are fundamentally only two characters in entertainment: a good guy and a bad guy [01:49:09]. He consciously analyzed these roles to execute them perfectly, starting from a young age [01:41:00]. His goal was to build a purpose for fights when fighters lacked motivation beyond a belt [04:02:04]. He observed that many MMA fighters, despite acting tough, are reluctant to take risks in promoting fights or accepting bookings [04:06:06]. He believes that many fighters pretend to be “nice” or respectful, which creates a boring narrative [05:49:00]. Instead, he advocates for authenticity, even if it means being booed [07:00:00].
Jon Jones’s Persona and Public Perception
Jon Jones is presented as a complex figure in the context of the heel/face dynamic. Sonnen openly admits to resenting Jon Jones, attributing it to envy because Jon Jones was a better fighter whom he couldn’t defeat [00:04:00].
Sonnen characterizes Jon Jones as a “real-life heel” who paradoxically receives adulation and is often perceived as a face [00:57:00]. This contrasts with Sonnen, who, despite being a “real-life face” (a good guy outside the cage), deliberately cultivated a heel persona and often received boos [00:57:00].
QUOTE
“You are a real life face but when the cameras are on you go [grunting noise] and then Jon Jones is almost the opposite and he gets the adulation and I know you say boos are like cheers for a heel but it still got to sting a little bit that you’re such a good guy and you don’t get the cheers you get the boos” [00:57:23]
Sonnen describes Jon Jones’s career trajectory:
- He went from the youngest champion of all time to the oldest contender in the company’s history [02:51:00].
- He sat out for three years due to failing multiple drug tests [02:39:00].
- His return fight against Ciryl Gane is criticized by Sonnen for lacking a compelling narrative beyond whether Jon Jones “still has it” [02:51:00].
Sonnen suggests that the narrative surrounding Jon Jones’s contract dispute and choice of management for his new deal was problematic. Jon Jones signed a deal with Richard Schaefer, a boxing promoter, which Sonnen believes was based on an outdated pay-per-view model and not suited for the current MMA business model [06:51:00]. This decision, from Sonnen’s perspective, wasted three years of Jon Jones’s prime [07:05:00].
The Role of Performance Enhancers
Sonnen believes that Jon Jones’s drug test failures are not fully understood by the public [02:34:00]. He implies that performance enhancers, like EPO (which increases red blood cells for endurance), are significant and that if the world understood what athletes like LeBron James did, it would highlight the impact [01:16:00]. He claims that most professional athletes know how to beat drug tests [01:50:00].
Impact on Fights and Business
The discussion highlights how effective storytelling can transcend the traditional emphasis on titles or rankings. Nate Diaz is cited as an example of a fighter who draws an audience regardless of whether a belt is on the line [00:16:16]. The “heel” is crucial for selling fights, but they often don’t receive the same financial rewards as the “face” with the belt [00:16:31]. Sonnen argues that whoever gets the loudest reception should be the star, regardless of their role [00:16:42].
A “cool heel,” like Conor McGregor or Stone Cold Steve Austin, can be highly monetizable because they embrace the boos but still appear charismatic [02:44:00]. However, pretending to be someone you’re not, like Valentina Shevchenko trying to be a “sweet Sally Homemaker” instead of embracing a “bad girl” persona, can hurt a fighter’s drawing power [01:55:00]. Sonnen attributes Shevchenko’s co-main event status, despite her talent, to her failure to craft a compelling public narrative [01:07:00].
The Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane fight is given as a prime example of a fight with a compelling backstory (former teammates, split coaches) that flopped because neither fighter was willing to tell the story or embrace a heel role [02:23:00]. This unwillingness to promote led to significantly lower pay-per-view numbers than projected [02:34:00].
Personal Code of the Heel
Sonnen adhered to a strict “code” as a heel:
- He would say whatever he wanted about an opponent [01:53:00].
- He would always show up for a fight, regardless of illness or circumstances [01:57:00].
- He never used profanity or threatened opponents’ families [01:30:00]. He believed profanity lacked creativity and was for those who weren’t “real bad guys” [01:14:00].
- His first successful “promo” involved telling the media he had a picture of Paulo Filho in his shoe so he was “walking right on his face” [06:17:00], which genuinely upset Filho [06:36:00].
Sonnen acknowledges that sometimes his heel persona was so convincing that it caused genuine offense, such as with the Nogueira brothers (whom he claimed believed a bus was a horse) [07:52:00] or with Paulo Filho [09:12:00]. He admits he sometimes regretted hurting feelings, distinguishing between “pissing someone off” and “hurting their feelings” [09:57:00].
Comparisons to Other Fighters and Personal Experiences
- Conor McGregor: Praised for staying in character until the very end, even after suffering a compound fracture [05:25:00]. His shift to a “nice guy” persona against Dustin Poirier was seen as less effective because it lacked authenticity [06:14:00].
- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Highlighted as excellent on the microphone, charismatic, funny, and fearless, always having a plan for what came next in his career narrative [01:14:00].
- Jake Paul: Sonnen sees Jake and Logan Paul as legitimate tough guys who understand the psychology of promotion and are willing to embrace being hated, which is a rare and powerful trait [01:09:00].
- Vanderlei Silva: During The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, Sonnen tried to explain the concept of being a heel to Silva, who intended to attack him with 20 men. Sonnen explained that this would make him the “victim” and endear him to the audience, which was the opposite of their intended roles [05:32:00]. Silva later publicly acknowledged and respected Sonnen’s character work [05:42:00].
Ultimately, Sonnen believes the most important thing is for fighters to tell their authentic story, whatever it may be. If they have a reason to fight, they should share it; if they don’t even know their opponent, they should be honest about that too [02:59:00].