"I was not happy about it" - Chael Sonnen recalls how Conor McGregor stole the spotlight from him at a UFC press conference 10 years ago

Chael Sonnen has revisited how Conor McGregor stole the spotlight from him at a UFC press conference 10 years ago.

McGregor's second UFC bout saw him defeat Max Holloway via unanimous decision at the UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen event at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on August 17, 2013. The event was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between MMA legend Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua and Chael Sonnen. Sonnen dominantly won via first-round submission.

During the UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen post-fight press conference, McGregor received significant attention despite the presence of other well-known stars such as Sonnen.

Check out the UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen post-fight press conference below:

Ahead of this week's UFC 292 event (August 19, 2023) -- which will transpire at the same venue, i.e., the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, United States -- Chael Sonnen partook in the Fighter Q&A press conference.

When asked what he remembers the most about his headlining matchup against 'Shogun' in Boston, Sonnen responded by recalling the 2013 post-fight press conference where McGregor stole the show. He stated:

"I got to the press conference. And I was ready to do my thing, right? And some guy is there, and the fans have got signs for him, and they were in bowties, and there's some kind of a lookalike contest.

"And this dude's down on the end, speaking funny with sunglasses on. His name's Conor McGregor, and I hadn't met him yet. And I couldn't understand why he was getting as many questions as I was. And I was not happy about it. That's what I remember the most."

Watch Sonnen discuss the topic at 5:08 in the video below:

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Chael Sonnen on the uncertainty surrounding the potential Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight

MMA fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen posted a video to his YouTube channel earlier this year addressing Conor McGregor's long-awaited comeback. He notably weighed in on the speculation about whether or not the highly-anticipated Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler matchup would materialize.

McGregor, who's been on an injury hiatus since July 2021, is yet to re-enter the USADA testing pool. Moreover, the Irishman's manager recently insinuated that his comeback may come to fruition no sooner than 2024 and that 'The Notorious' could fight someone other than Chandler.

In his YouTube video, Chael Sonnen alluded to the fact that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler served as rival coaches on TUF 31 this year. 'The American Gangster' emphasized, however, that the UFC hasn't announced an official date for McGregor's comeback fight against Chandler.

Indicating that the possible McGregor-Chandler matchup might fall apart, Sonnen said:

"The most important that you have in a contract is the date. If you have a contract and you don't have a date, you don't have a contract. Just so you understand...The date is what matters. It is the most important thing." [9:44 - 10:22]

Check out Sonnen's assessment at 9:09 in the video below: