Chael Sonnen trash talks Daniel Cormier with savage "if stupid had a cousin" remark igniting TUF 33 coaching rivalry: "Nobody knows who he is"

Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier are set to feature as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter season 33. The UFC’s announcement of their coaching roles marks the first time two retired legends will clash in the reality show format.

Sonnen wasted no time in stoking the flames, delivering his signature brand of trash talk directed at Cormier. Known for his razor-sharp wit and promotional prowess, Sonnen took shots at Cormier’s recognition in the sport.

He downplayed Cormier’s legacy with a scathing remark, claiming that "if stupid had a cousin", it would be Cormier. Speaking about the coaching roles in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Sonnen said:

“I assumed I was coming in to coach Daniel Cormier. I had no idea they gave him a similar role. But when you get Craig Borsari and [Zach] Candito and you get that real good production team to kind of edit around him in spite of him being there, we can probably have something good. Don’t pretend this is the first time I’ve had to carry a show with Daniel Cormier.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Sonnen added:

"I had a hard time with Wanderlei Silva, and it was with the language barrier. So I had an interpreter, he had an interpreter, and sometimes they didn’t agree and ultimately, they even subtitled the show... With that said, I think that Wanderlei speaks better English than Daniel. I’m not saying like there’s a literacy issue, and I wouldn’t call Daniel stupid. I like him a lot. But if stupid had a cousin, it would be Daniel Cormier.”

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below:

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Daniel Cormier jokes Chael Sonnen made a "dumb" decision to coach opposite him in upcoming TUF season

Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen will go head-to-head as rival coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF 33), set to premiere on May 27.

Both UFC Hall of Famers have coached the show twice before, but now, they’ll compete against each other. On their ESPN show Good Guy/Bad Guy, Cormier joked about chasing Sonnen down after he initially tried to turn the coaching opportunity down.

Cormier said:

"Chael, I fancy you a smart guy, but then you make a dumb decision to coach opposing me on The Ultimate Fighter. Hey, you tried to turn it down. I get it. You tried to turn it down multiple times. We had to chase you down. You choose to coach against me.”

Sonnen replied:

"I was actually quite flattered. The Ultimate Fighter is the biggest vehicle in the history of our industry. To be selected as coaches behind the scenes, what people don’t see, it’s pretty competitive. You can hurt some feelings. People want an opportunity to go on and do that. There is a competition side and, yes, in fairness, it would boost my ego to defeat you. That’s true. I am going to do everything that I can to go out there and beat you.”

Check out their discussion below (43:20):