SONNEN Admits He MISSED On GANE: "I'M STARTING TO GET IT"
“One thing he is not, is a wrestler.”
Chael Sonnen told MMA Junkie he underrated Ciryl Gane for years, and only the Alex Pereira stoppage forced him to rethink the heavyweight champion.
"Ciryl Gane is much better than I knew that he was."
Chael Sonnen said that to Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. It is a rare admission from a man who almost never walks back a take.
Sonnen now counts the belts and sees the point. Gane has won interim gold twice, and he now holds the undisputed heavyweight title.
Why It Matters Now
Gane first won interim gold in 2021, when he stopped Derrick Lewis. He then lost the unification fight to Francis Ngannou the next year, on points.
His second interim run ended very differently. He stopped Alex Pereira in the second round at UFC Freedom 250, and that finish changed Sonnen's mind.
Tom Aspinall is still out after the double eye poke in his October 2025 fight with Gane. With Aspinall sidelined, Gane was raised to undisputed champion.
The Test Sonnen Still Sees
Gane defends the title in the UFC 334 main event on November 14. He faces unbeaten Josh Hokit at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Sonnen praised Gane's skill and experience. He also named the one hole that still worries him in this matchup.
"One thing he is not, is a wrestler."
— Chael Sonnen, to MMA Junkie
Sonnen warned that Hokit could fake takedowns to set traps on the feet. A wrestling threat only works, he said, if the champion believes it is real.
What A Win Would Prove
A win would hand Hokit his first pro loss. It would also give Gane a clean title defense while Aspinall stays inactive.
That is the statement Sonnen now expects him to chase. The doubter has converted, and the champion still has to prove him right.
So when a career skeptic says he finally gets it, is the rest of the division out of excuses too?
