“He had put $500 in there” - Austin Vanderford reveals Chael Sonnen’s thoughtful act which rescued his moment with Paige VanZant’s dad

Chael Sonnen and an act of kindness towards Austin Vanderford played a key role in the latter's relationship with Paige VanZant.

On their podcast A Kickass Love Story, the situation was described as a crazy and legendary story after Vanderford had moved down to Oregon.

Vanderford and VanZant had just recently started dating, with Sonnen being their regular training partner at the time. One day after practice, Vanderford met VanZant's parents for the first time, and Chael Sonnen teased Vanderford about whether he would pay for the date.

Austin Vanderford said he, without exaggeration, likely had $15 in his bank account until a surprise from 'The American Gangster' changed fortunes around, literally and figuratively.

Vanderford said:

"He's (Chael's) like hey, when you get home make sure you check the side pocket of your gym bag. I'm like oh boy, I'm sure he's like going even further with it. Maybe he's like, put a condom in the side, something like that."

The Bellator middleweight added:

"I got home, I checked the side pocket, and he had put like five hundred bucks in there and was like, hey, you know, you pay for the first date and all this (laughs). Just a really sweet thing of him to do."

Check out Sonnen's role in the Vanderford-VanZant love story below:

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Chael Sonnen: The ladies man

It seems like Chael Sonnen has a bit of a romantic streak to him beyond this Austin Vanderford-Paige VanZant, Bellator-BKFC romantic situation.

During a conversation on The MMA Hour earlier this year, Chael Sonnen spoke to Ariel Helwani about how he had met his now wife at an airport. Sonnen, in a transcription courtesy of Essentially Sports, stated:

“I met her at a fight. She was passing through. It was a three-story building. I saw her on the bottom floor and she got away. I searched the whole building for her and I found her on the middle floor."

He continued:

"I went up to her, and I just said my phone is dead. I gotta make a phone call. She loaned me her phone. I called myself. My phone wasn’t dead. I felt it vibrate, and I handed her phone back. Then I text her instantly and said careful who you loan your phone too, a lot of crazies out there. Had the number, took her out the next night, and told her I’m gonna marry you."

Watch the full interview below: