Chael Sonnen compares Jon Jones' new advisor Richard Schaefer to WWE boss Vince McMahon

MMA legend Chael Sonnen has compared Jon Jones’ new advisor Richard Schaefer to WWE boss Vince McMahon.

Chael Sonnen made this comparison by suggesting that like McMahon, Schaefer too is an exceptional businessperson. Sonnen indicated that McMahon and Schaefer have the ability to bring different parties to the negotiating table, settle their differences, and work out lucrative business deals.

On an episode of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen put forth words of high praise for Jon Jones’ new advisor, longtime combat sports manager and entrepreneur Richard Schaefer. Sonnen compared Schaefer’s business acumen and negotiating skills to that of WWE head honcho Vince McMahon.

Sonnen stated –

“I think if we were to really kind of unwind it, somewhere along the way, he got his feelings hurt. Okay, so can (Richard) Schaefer bring this back together; bring a little bit of a reality, explain the opportunities on what can be done. I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s what Schaefer is there to do, or if this is just straight-up hardcore business. And how are you going to break this thing down, and the guy is one of the few people walking around that happens to know a thing or two about the pay-per-view model. I don’t know. I just know Schaefer does have a history of getting things done. He does have a history of bringing a lot of egos to the table, very calmly, getting things done. And I know that Dana (White) respects him, and that matters.”

“That matters a lot. I mean, I’ve watched Dana and Vince (McMahon) do things that, really, you guys have never discussed. But I think if you knew a little bit more about it, your jaw would drop and you’d be completely fascinated. But even the way that Dana and Vince worked out the CM Punk or even the Brock Lesnar thing, that wasn’t about, ‘You’ve got something I want’. It wasn’t about that. It was about, ‘I respect you, and you want this, and I’m willing to let you have it. Down the road, I might ask you for a favor. I expect to have it back’. And they started trading these things back and forth. That was based upon respect by these two guys. And Dana respects Schaefer, to some extent.”

“To some extent, it’s very true. Dana says very beautiful things about Richard Schaefer when he talks about him. Dana also knows what happened at Golden Boy (Promotions). He knows who took all of the credit: The Golden Boy (Oscar De La Hoya). He knows who actually did all of the work, which was Richard. And he handled it like a gentleman. And I bring that to you because if you need cooler heads to prevail and if we’ve gotten somewhere along this ‘disrespect’, ‘my feelings are hurt’ level, and now we’ve even stopped dialogue; it’s gotta be restarted. And I have high hopes that Schaefer can be the one to do that.”

“And it’s very tough; I bring up Vince. But Vince is very well-known for telling guys one thing, which is, ‘The only thing I will ever give you is an opportunity’. Now, Vince has turned that into a multi-billion dollar company, giving guys opportunities and watching them maximize it. And I bring that to you because the one thing Jon (Jones) has is the opportunity. But I don’t think he appreciates it.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

Chael Sonnen added that Jon Jones has experienced so much success that perhaps he’s unable to realize how great a position he’s currently in. Sonnen pointed out that Jon Jones is receiving a UFC heavyweight title shot right away, despite never having competed in the division before.

Chael Sonnen reiterated that all Jon Jones needs to do is negotiate with the UFC. Furthermore, 'The American Gangster' added that he’d love to know more about the advisor role that Richard Schaefer is serving Jon Jones in, the pay structure, and other details of the sort.

Sonnen says he’s hopeful Schaefer will help Jon Jones reach an agreement with the UFC. He noted that Jones’ team too deserves to earn money, and if 'Bones' doesn’t compete, his team too isn’t earning money.

Jon Jones recently confirmed that Richard Schaefer will work as an advisor for him

Richard Schaefer (left); Jon Jones (right)

Jon Jones recently took to his official social media account and revealed that Richard Schaefer will be working for him as an advisor.

Jon Jones’ statement on Instagram read as follows –

“I have retained Richard Schaefer as my advisor. Richard has been in the combat sports space for over 20 years and has put together some of the biggest pay-per-view events over that period. The likes of (Floyd) Mayweather, (Oscar) De La Hoya, ‘Canelo’ (Alvarez), (Bernard) Hopkins, (Marco Antonio) Barrera and (Juan Manuel) Marquez have headlined exciting events that Richard has promoted and produced. His knowledges and experience of the pay-per-view industry and combat sports are second to none. I am excited to embark on this next chapter of my career as I continue to cement my place in history as one of the greats with Richard as my advisor. I can’t wait to give my fans and the sport the fights they want to see.”

Jon Jones was initially expected to fight the winner of Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou UFC 260 (March 27th, 2021) matchup. However, following Ngannou’s UFC heavyweight title-winning performance at UFC 260, Jon Jones has been engaged in a dispute with the UFC over his remuneration for a fight against 'The Predator'.

Resultantly, the Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou matchup hasn’t come to fruition yet. In fact, the UFC is now looking to book Ngannou to defend his title in a rematch against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 (August 7th, 2021).

Please spend 30 seconds to answer this survey so that we can better understand how to serve your MMA needs.