UFC
Chael Sonnen cancels trip to Brazil to corner Yushin Okami at UFC 134 due to pressure from sponsor
Aug 24, 2011 - 8:15:19 PM Chael Sonnen cancels trip to Brazil to corner Yushin Okami at UFC 134 due to pressure from sponsor

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen was planning on being in Yushin Okami's corner this weekend at UFC 134 for Okami's fight with Anderson Silva, but he won't be making the trip after pressure from one of Okami's fight sponsors.

According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, Brazilian-based MMA brand Pretorian threatened to pull their sponsorship of Okami if Sonnen appeared in his corner.

Sonnen has made himself no friends in Brazil with a constant barrage of disparaging remarks towards the country and its most prominent UFC fighters, and MMAJunkie reported a quote from a source who stated, "There's a line of people that want to kick his ass."

The two fought each other back in 2009, and after Sonnen handed Okami just his second UFC loss, they became friends and began training with each other. Because of that relationship, Sonnen had planned to be there for support in his title fight, but ultimately Sonnen made the decision to not make the trip so as not to be a distraction to Okami.

"I only want to be there to help him," Sonnen said. "I don't need to see the show. I can watch the show on TV. I was going exclusively in support of Yushin, and frankly, it's been headed this way for a long time. It's been headed the direction of, 'Hey, this is becoming a distraction.'

"This fight isn't about me. I'm not involved. I'm here to lend you support. But I don't want things thrown at what will unintentionally be him while he's in the ring or we're going to the ring. This is serious business. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it's not my place to disturb it or shift any type of attention to me. This is his moment, his night, his time to be the world champ."

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: I'm sure Sonnen taking a step back and taking the attention off himself will come as a surprise to some, but he's making the right move and in this context he's not trying to be the caricature he often comes off as in interviews and in public. He's created a definite stir with Brazilian fans and fighters, and being in the arena for Okami won't be a good idea in what will already be a hostile, entirely pro-Silva crowd.