Chael Sonnen

Chael Patrick Sonnen (/ˈtʃeɪl ˈsʌnən/; born April 3, 1977) is a retired American mixed martial artist who last competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Early life and career

Sonnen was born in either Milwaukie, Oregon, United States or West Linn, Oregon (sources differ), and began wrestling from a young age. He attended West Linn High School, where he was a state runner-up. In 1996, Sonnen began training in boxing, with the hope of competing in the UFC upon graduating from high school.

After high school, Sonnen attended Brigham Young University before transferring to the University of Oregon when BYU began considering cutting their wrestling program. At Oregon, Sonnen earned All-American honors, was a two-time PAC-10 runner-up, was a silver medalist at the 2000 Greco-Roman World University Championships, and was a two-time Dave Schultz Memorial Institutional Greco-Roman winner. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology.