Chael Sonnen Recalls Trying to Get Advice From Dan Henderson Against Michael Bisping

Chael Sonnen spoke during a Phone Booth Fighting podcast taping about a time when he called Dan Henderson for advice and didn’t get very far. Some highlights are below:

On calling Henderson for advice: “I called Dan one time, and I’m going to fight Michael Bisping on FOX. And if I win, I’m going to fight Anderson Silva for the world championship. It’s a big fight. Henderson’s in the same weight class; he’s fought Bisping, (and) he’s trained with me for years. So I call Dan the night before the fight, which is a tradition for me. And I ask him, ‘Can I beat this guy?’ He goes, ‘Uh … yeah. I don’t see why not.’ And then I can hear him talking to his kids off the phone, and I can tell he’s not enveloped in this conversation. So then he finally says to me, ‘Well, is it three or five rounds?’”

On his reaction: “I’m thinking, Dan, are you not even following this sport?. This is a big deal, it’s on FOX, it’s the second fight ever on FOX, Rashad Evans is headlining the show, and I’m not the world champion, even though I keep telling people I am – Anderson Silva is, and you’re in the division. So you tell me, Dan, is it three or five rounds?…So I answer his question (and say) it’s three rounds. And he finally comes clean after all of this, and he flat out says, ‘Who are you fighting?’”