Chael Sonnen Details Why Mike Tyson Was ‘Frustrated’ With Him Years Ago

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Chael Sonnen has made plenty of friends in the combat sports industry, but Mike Tyson is not one of them.
Sonnen has gained increasing favor with fans once he took on roles as an analyst, as this provided a deeper look at the man who, to that point, was widely known for disrespectful trash talk.
However, once he started making regular appearances on Fox breaking down fights and speaking with fighters, fans began to realize there was more to him than the bravado he often portrayed.
Chael Sonnen Angered Mike Tyson
Photos via Instagram @miketyson &YouTube – Chael Sonnen
While overall opinions of Chael Sonnen improved thanks to his analyst roles, there was one fighter that he upset during his time on Fox. Unfortunately, that competitor happened to be former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, the one person you would not want to make upset.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen explained that he was supposed to do a three-minute interview with Iron Mike, keeping things short and sweet. However, when the interview got delayed beyond his control, resulting in Tyson having to wait more time for the interview than the whole thing was supposed to be, the former heavyweight champ got a bit testy with the MMA fighter.
“We’re going to have Mike Tyson on the show. That’s a thrill for me. That’s a big thrill for me, that I am going to be the guy. Mike’s in a different studio, he’s got the camera in front of him, it’s via satellite,” Sonnen explained. “I’m going to be the guy talking to Tyson. I’m get to welcome him in, ‘Hey, here we are, Chael Sonnen over at Fox Studios, joined by the former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. It’s an exciting thing for me.
“So before this gets aired to the world, before any of you guys can see it, I say hello to Mike,” Sonnen continued, explaining that this greeting also serves as an audio check. “You’ve gotta understand from my perspective, I’m excited. That’s Iron Mike Tyson. Well, he didn’t say ‘It’s nice to see you Chael.’ He didn’t say ‘Thank you for having me on.’ He didn’t say ‘Everything is going great.’ His body language, first off, was very frustrated. You can tell by his body language, he was frustrated, and his words caught up to the body language when he said ‘Man, I’ve been sitting here for 15 minutes, are you about ready?'”
Chael Sonnen went on to say that while that certainly dampened his excitement for the interview, he certainly understood where Mike Tyson was coming from, having waited for an interview five times longer than the amount of time the interview was supposed to take. Nevertheless, he was able to recover and deliver the interview, going on to have a successful, albeit slightly tense, interview with the former champ.
This goes to show that even someone as professional and skilled with his words as Chael Sonnen can be caught off guard. Although he has since seemed to stop being concerned about upsetting Mike Tyson.
What would your reaction have been to an angry Mike Tyson?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.

Chael Sonnen has made plenty of friends in the combat sports industry, but Mike Tyson is not one of them.


Sonnen has gained increasing favor with fans once he took on roles as an analyst, as this provided a deeper look at the man who, to that point, was widely known for disrespectful trash talk.


However, once he started making regular appearances on Fox breaking down fights and speaking with fighters, fans began to realize there was more to him than the bravado he often portrayed.


Chael Sonnen Angered Mike Tyson
Chael-Sonnen-Mike-Tyson-1024x576.jpg.optimal.jpg
Photos via Instagram @miketyson &YouTube – Chael Sonnen
While overall opinions of Chael Sonnen improved thanks to his analyst roles, there was one fighter that he upset during his time on Fox. Unfortunately, that competitor happened to be former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, the one person you would not want to make upset.


Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen explained that he was supposed to do a three-minute interview with Iron Mike, keeping things short and sweet. However, when the interview got delayed beyond his control, resulting in Tyson having to wait more time for the interview than the whole thing was supposed to be, the former heavyweight champ got a bit testy with the MMA fighter.


“We’re going to have Mike Tyson on the show. That’s a thrill for me. That’s a big thrill for me, that I am going to be the guy. Mike’s in a different studio, he’s got the camera in front of him, it’s via satellite,” Sonnen explained. “I’m going to be the guy talking to Tyson. I’m get to welcome him in, ‘Hey, here we are, Chael Sonnen over at Fox Studios, joined by the former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. It’s an exciting thing for me.


“So before this gets aired to the world, before any of you guys can see it, I say hello to Mike,” Sonnen continued, explaining that this greeting also serves as an audio check. “You’ve gotta understand from my perspective, I’m excited. That’s Iron Mike Tyson. Well, he didn’t say ‘It’s nice to see you Chael.’ He didn’t say ‘Thank you for having me on.’ He didn’t say ‘Everything is going great.’ His body language, first off, was very frustrated. You can tell by his body language, he was frustrated, and his words caught up to the body language when he said ‘Man, I’ve been sitting here for 15 minutes, are you about ready?'”


Chael Sonnen went on to say that while that certainly dampened his excitement for the interview, he certainly understood where Mike Tyson was coming from, having waited for an interview five times longer than the amount of time the interview was supposed to take. Nevertheless, he was able to recover and deliver the interview, going on to have a successful, albeit slightly tense, interview with the former champ.


This goes to show that even someone as professional and skilled with his words as Chael Sonnen can be caught off guard. Although he has since seemed to stop being concerned about upsetting Mike Tyson.


What would your reaction have been to an angry Mike Tyson?


Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.




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