"Little bit out of character" - Top UFC light heavyweight surprised by Chael Sonnen's outburst at Ariel Helwani

Chael Sonnen and Ariel Helwani had a recent disagreement that has made waves in the online MMA community. Helwani welcomed Sonnen to his show, The MMA Hour, to discuss Francis Ngannou's success against Tyson Fury, especially given their previously clashing stances regarding Ngannou's decision to leave the UFC.

Unfortunately, their discussion quickly devolved into an argument rife with personal insults from Helwani and threats from Sonnen. This drew the attention of several MMA figures, including current UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith, who offered his thoughts on the matter on Michael Bisping's YouTube podcast.

According to Smith, Sonnen's stunning outburst was uncharacteristic, saying (at 4:18 minutes) the following about the incident:

"It was out of character for Chael. It was a little bit out of character for Chael, I was a little bit surprised. Ariel, he's been, kinda, coming at people, he's, you know, he's standing up for himself and what he believes, a little more the last couple of years, but it seemed a little bit out of character for Chael, that's really the news-worthy part of it for me. I've never really seen Chael irritated in all the years I've been working with him."

Anthony Smith's take on the situation is understandable as Chael Sonnen has generally conducted himself in a composed manner in public, even in his most infamous trash-talking moments. As for Ariel Helwani, it isn't the first time that he's drawn the ire of a well-known MMA figure.

Not long ago, he enraged Jamahal Hill due to his perceived (and failed) attempts at goading Jiří Procházka into speaking ill of 'Sweet Dreams.'

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Chael Sonnen makes amends with Anderson Silva

Chael Sonnen spent the most memorable stretch of his career as a middleweight in the UFC, where he pursued the division's title on two occasions. Both times led to him facing the legendary Anderson Silva, making up one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history that was punctuated by relentless trash talk from Sonnen.

However, both men buried the hatchet back when Silva was scheduled to face Jake Paul in a boxing match. Chael Sonnen was enlisted as the host of the pre-fight press conference. During it, he and Silva were cordial and even joked about Silva's past invitation to Sonnen to his barbecue.