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An unexpected dispute from 2011 between Chael Sonnen and UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste has resurfaced.
In 2011, Sonnen was selected to host the World MMA Awards to honor the best fighters/moments of the year. One of the awards was for Ring Girl of the Year, with Celeste as a top nominee.
During an interview that year, Sonnen was asked about who should be crowned the best ring girl. He responded by saying:
“We only had one and that was Chandella [Powell]. The other was the IQ card girl. Arianny [Celeste] kind of walks around and holds up her latest test score. One time when there was a title fight, she got all the way up to five and we were very proud of her.”
Celeste didn’t take kindly to Sonnen’s comments, leading to her posting this since-deleted message on Twitter:
“Hey what’s ur name.. after @spideranderson kicks your a*s..u won’t even be able to count to 5!! Get ready to kiss brazils a*s!”
Sonnen responded on Twitter by saying:
“Seems easy to wear a bikini and seems easy to walk in a circle, but try walking in a circle while wearing a bikini. Talented girl!”
It should be noted that Chael Sonnen is a promoting genius. Therefore, he could have been working with Arianny Celeste to utilize their drama to promote the event. Celeste went on to win the award for Ring Girl of the Year, her fourth consecutive year getting the honor.
When did Chael Sonnen retire from fighting?
Following his departure from the UFC, Chael Sonnen took off several years before signing with Bellator to make a return to MMA. Sonnen would fight five times under the Bellator banner, facing fellow MMA legends like Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, and Tito Ortiz.
In June 2019, Sonnen fought Lyoto Machida and lost by a second-round knockout. The disappointing defeat led to him hanging up his gloves for good with a professional MMA record of 30-17-1.
Sonnen may not have won UFC or Bellator gold, but he’s solidified himself as a legend in MMA. To this day, the Oregon native is widely considered to be the greatest trash talker in UFC history.
