The last time we saw Chael Sonnen in the Octagon, he was just moments away from pulling off a monster upset and taking the UFC middleweight belt away from Anderson 'The Spider' Silva. But that didn’t happen, as Silva locked on a triangle choke that forced Sonnen to tap after the challenger had dominated the champ for 4 ½ rounds.
Since then, Sonnen has dealt with problems galore with the law and the California Athletic Commission. However, his six-month suspension in California ended on July 1 and the UFC wasted no time in announcing his next opponent.
Sonnen will square off against Brian ‘The All-American’ Stann in the co-main event of UFC 136 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Stann has won three straight fights since dropping down to the 185-pound loop, including back-to-back KOs of Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben and Jorge Santiago.
As of July 8, most books had Sonnen listed as a favorite in the minus-230 range, while Stann was plus-190 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $190).
Betus.com is one of the few betting shops with a number for Jon ‘Bones’ Jones’ first title defense of his light-heavyweight crown. The book has Jones as an expensive minus-400 ‘chalk’ versus Rampage Jackson, who is available for a plus-300 payout (risk $100 to win $300).
The UFC’s next event won’t be held until August 6 when Rashad Evans and Phil ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Davis will collide in the main event for UFC 133 in Philadelphia.
Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.
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