{"id":276967,"date":"2018-05-23T10:26:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T17:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=276967"},"modified":"2018-05-23T10:26:34","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T17:26:34","slug":"chael-sonnen-suggests-harsh-solution-for-trend-of-fighters-missing-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/chael-sonnen\/chael-sonnen-suggests-harsh-solution-for-trend-of-fighters-missing-weight\/","title":{"rendered":"Chael Sonnen suggests harsh solution for trend of fighters missing weight"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems like every major fight card is rocked by at least one fighter missing weight<\/a>. This problem is so prevalent that cards that don’t<\/em> feature a weigh-in hiccup \u2014 like last weekend’s UFC Chile card<\/a> \u2014 feel like a real rarity.<\/p>\n

When it comes to solutions for the epidemic of fighters missing weight for their bouts, there have been dozens of solutions suggested. Former UFC star and current Bellator staple Chael Sonnen, however, thinks he’s figured out a way to curb the problem significantly.<\/p>\n

His answer? Punishment. Severe and unfailing punishment.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy solution is \u2018you\u2019re done, you\u2019re not fighting, go home,\u2019\u201d Sonnen said on a recent episode of his Beyond the Fight podcast (transcribed by Milan Ordo\u00f1ez for BloodyElbow<\/a>). \u201c\u2019You\u2019re cut, you\u2019re released\u2019, however extreme you want to get with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[Promotions need to say] \u2019You broke the deal, you cheated, you lied on the contract, and we\u2019re not using you.\u2019 And I agree that, with the plethora of people in MMA that miss weight, sometimes two and three people a night, that that is a significant problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would also argue as an experiment, we can run shockwaves through this sport right now by yanking one guy. One cheater, one violator. Don\u2019t just take his money, up it to a disqualification, pay the other person, and I don\u2019t think you would have that problem for another two or three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the quotes above suggest, Sonnen feels that those who miss weight for their fights are essentially cheating \u2014 which is in keeping with a comment former UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz made<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really did appreciate that Dom called it out because that\u2019s what it is,\u201d Sonnen said. \u201cYou cheated, there\u2019s a rule here. A signed, written rule that comes with a punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how we know things are rules,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere\u2019s a punishment, then there was a rule. And you broke it, and it is cheating. Dom called it cheating, Dom called it the right word.\u201d<\/p>\n