Well, it’s been decided. Any politician thinking about throwing their hat into the ring to become president of the United States in 2016 should save their time and money. At least according to former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Silva seems to know who has the inside track of getting the nod in the upcoming election. It’s a man he has faced twice inside the UFC’s Octagon. That man is none other than Chael Sonnen.
Silva, speaking to Metro (h/t to MMAFighting.com) said of Sonnen:
This guy will be the next president of the United States (laughs). He’s smart, political, knows how to promote himself. He’s not an athlete with great results, but he knows how to promote himself. He knows how to use the UFC, and that’s something that many other athletes can’t. He’s very intelligent.
You could argue about Sonnen’s not so great results, after all his only losses over his last nine fights have come at the hands of then champion Silva and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. What you can’t argue about is the fact that Sonnen is one of the greatest promoters of mixed martial arts, as well as of the organization he fights for, the UFC.
On paper, Sonnen could become president. He’s over the age of 35, he’s a natural born citizen of the United States, and he has lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
One knock against Sonnen is the fact that he is a convicted felon. In 2011 Sonnen pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering relating to a 2006 real estate deal.
With that conviction on the books, it may not be a wise decision to order your red, white and blue Sonnen 2016 tee shirts and banners.
Sonnen’s next UFC bout will take place on November 16, when he faces Rashad Evans in a light heavyweight matchup. The bout will be the co-main event of UFC 167.
More from Bloody Elbow:
- Johny Hendricks: St. Pierre ‘threw me under the bus’ on VADA testing
- Why romance writers love MMA
- Rashad Evans talks fighting, burn out and Chael Sonnen
- On behalf of Josh Samman, the tragic loss of Hailey Kate Bevis
- Alistair Overeem says with a loss to Frank Mir he ‘better start doing something else’
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