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Chael Sonnen claims he decided to pick Derek Brunson as the winner of Saturday's UFC Vegas 36 main event after a special request from Darren Till's fans.
Sonnen is known for his poor UFC prediction record. Most times, when he picks who he thinks will win a fight, the opponent ends up claiming the victory. This has been famously termed the "Chael Curse."
Speaking in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen explained how Till's fans begged him not to cast his curse on their favorite fighter. Sonnen explained why he fulfilled the request of the Darren Till faithful.
"You would be stunned how many Darren Till fans reached out to me and begged me to not put the curse on Darren Till. The curse of having old Chael believe in you. So I'm putting the curse on Derek Brunson. It comes with a lot though. I find Brunson to be a very steady and consistent fighter. But Till hasn't been consistent. Some of Till's best performances have come on the night he should have done worse and vice versa," said Chael Sonnen.
Watch the latest edition of The Chael Curse below:
Chael Sonnen is currently an analyst with ESPN. He retired from MMA in June 2019 with a 31-17 record. 'The American Gangster' also had a stint with Bellator.
When is UFC Vegas 36: Derek Brunson vs Darren Till?
UFC Vegas 36 will take place this Saturday, September 4, at the promotion's Apex facility. No.5-ranked middleweight contender Derek Brunson will square off against No.7-ranked Darren Till in the main event.
Brunson is currently on a four-fight winning streak. Till, meanwhile, has lost three of his last four bouts in the company.
The 37-year-old is yet to fight for gold in the UFC. By comparison, 'The Gorilla' fought Tyron Woodley for the welterweight belt in September 2018 before making the switch to middleweight..
A win this weekend for either fighter will take them closer to a championship opportunity. Current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is expected to face former champ Robert Whittaker next in 2022.
