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The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment
The book that you are considering buying is nothing short of a VIP Pass to Enlightenment, written by the UFC's most infamous and feared destroyer of men—Chael P. Sonnen.
Backwoodsmen and unlearned folk call him the Walking Thesaurus. His contemporaries have bestowed upon him the title Sir Sonnen. And those dwelling in the forgotten, forlorn jungles south of the equator reverently refer to him as filho da puta, a term Sonnen personally deciphered using his mastery of linguistics. It means, simply, "the Great and Humble Bearer of Knowledge."
In the coming pages, Sonnen's commentary and tales of heroic adventure will initiate you into the world of superhuman greatness. Allow him to carry you like a frail damsel through the world of professional mixed martial arts as he cuts weight, deals with moronic cornermen, expresses his disdain for focus mitts and punching in general, gets his face rearranged, and finds support and encouragement from fans. Permit him to cleanse your mind's palate and teach you the truth about history, politics, endangered species, cinema, terrorists, music, particle accelerators, and his plans for creating a Chaelocracy, which translates as "a Better Earth." Shower him with praise as he takes you into his manly mitts like a lump of clay and reshapes you in his own likeness.
Like all men of myth and legend, Sonnen strives for the betterment of the human race. Prometheus brought us fire; Dana White brought us the modern-day gladiator; and Chael P. Sonnen now brings us the step-by-step guide to being a great human being and patriot.
Purchase this book; learn how the world really works from the perspective of a man who has been face-to-face with presidents, wardens, dignitaries, judges, kings and queens, and athletic commissions; and find out if you have what it takes to awaken from your progressive nightmare.
There is no better day to stop being you and start trying to be Chael P. Sonnen. The time has come for The Voice of Reason.
Chael Sonnen is the best trash-talker in all of sports.
—Jim Rome
Host of The Jim Rome Show
I've never seen anything like it. He's the best thing since Muhammad Ali
—Dana White
UFC President
Backwoodsmen and unlearned folk call him the Walking Thesaurus. His contemporaries have bestowed upon him the title Sir Sonnen. And those dwelling in the forgotten, forlorn jungles south of the equator reverently refer to him as filho da puta, a term Sonnen personally deciphered using his mastery of linguistics. It means, simply, "the Great and Humble Bearer of Knowledge."
In the coming pages, Sonnen's commentary and tales of heroic adventure will initiate you into the world of superhuman greatness. Allow him to carry you like a frail damsel through the world of professional mixed martial arts as he cuts weight, deals with moronic cornermen, expresses his disdain for focus mitts and punching in general, gets his face rearranged, and finds support and encouragement from fans. Permit him to cleanse your mind's palate and teach you the truth about history, politics, endangered species, cinema, terrorists, music, particle accelerators, and his plans for creating a Chaelocracy, which translates as "a Better Earth." Shower him with praise as he takes you into his manly mitts like a lump of clay and reshapes you in his own likeness.
Like all men of myth and legend, Sonnen strives for the betterment of the human race. Prometheus brought us fire; Dana White brought us the modern-day gladiator; and Chael P. Sonnen now brings us the step-by-step guide to being a great human being and patriot.
Purchase this book; learn how the world really works from the perspective of a man who has been face-to-face with presidents, wardens, dignitaries, judges, kings and queens, and athletic commissions; and find out if you have what it takes to awaken from your progressive nightmare.
There is no better day to stop being you and start trying to be Chael P. Sonnen. The time has come for The Voice of Reason.
Chael Sonnen is the best trash-talker in all of sports.
—Jim Rome
Host of The Jim Rome Show
I've never seen anything like it. He's the best thing since Muhammad Ali
—Dana White
UFC President
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2012
31 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
May 21, 2012
In a recent review I rambled off some names of fighters who if they happened to write a book I would read immediately. Not keeping up on the publishing endeavors of the MMA world, I didn't realize that I'd have about two weeks to wait until one of those fighters mugs would be staring out at me from a face out in the sports section. With the embarrassment I always feel when I take a detour from the escalator to the sports section to grab the rare book that feels worth the ensuing feeling of being 'one of those people'* Yeah, I'm not picking up a book on how to learn Jeet Kune Do, believing that via osmosis, the power of positive thinking or just by blankly reading the same pages over and over again I will learn all the secrets of Bruce Lee of the subtle teaching of Ninja-itsu**, but it's still embarrassing to go near that section and take anything off the shelf knowing that I'm planning to read it. Even if the book is written by one of the more entertaining trash-talkers in the fight game.
These fight book reviews, and reviews that degenerate into ramblings about fighting aren't my most-popular ones. I can imagine that people see them and say something like, fuck this I don't give a shit about the sort of gay over glorified professional wrestling that Greg keeps seeming to think anyone besides himself actually cares about. I can imagine that, but I imagine that like I imagine ghosts, God and unicorns, as mere figments of the imagination. What I rather think is that these are my most popular reviews, people checking them out to get some knowledge about fighting from a book nerd perspective and then going off to their real life friends and dropping little bits of of the information I've imparted free of charge to make themselves seem something (I don't know what knowing anything about MMA makes you, but I need to come up with something, so I'm going to say that it's to bond with and make conversation with some dude with cauliflowered ears who for some unknown reason you feel the need to be on the goodside of), the total lack of votes on these reviews is because people are embarrassed to say they like the reviews, the same way I'm embarrassed to go into the sports section at work and select a book from the shelf.
All that preamble out of the way, you are probably asking yourself, who is Chael Sonnen? Well he's a middle weight fighter in the UFC, probably best known for being arrested on federal charges for money laundering and then banned from fighting for six months because of abnormally high testosterone. He's also a very entertaining personality, one of a handful out there that seem genuinely funny and smart. Until his last couple of fights he was pretty much one of the last remaining fighters in the UFC of the 'lay and pray' strategy.*** Now he's starting to become more of a well rounded fighter. He's not someone who is probably going to be talked about as best pound for pound fighter in the world****, but he is the fighter who came closest to dethroning Anderson Silva from his long-held Middleweight championship, and is set to face him again later this year in a fight that I hope will finally insert some excitement into the upper reaches of the division.
Chael Sonnen is the only hope I see in making the Middleweight division really interesting again.
Oh, and his book is pretty entertaining.
He covers topics that I somewhat disagree with him on. He's pretty conservative and we don't necessarily see eye to eye on everything, but I wasn't looking to read this book to agree with him on animal rights. What I do see eye to eye with him on (well sort of) are topics such as boring fighters, ridiculous personas fighters adopt, the nonsense they spout off, and the truly awful musical tastes of most fighters along with their choice of walkout songs. People should heed his words on music. The musical selections of most fighters are unbearably bad, like you think that maybe it's ok because these people have been hit in the head so many times bad that they no longer can tell decent music from criminal sonic assaults. He also has the guts to say that Jimi Hendrix is a decent guitar player but not the genius that he's normally spoken of. Thank you for putting into print what I've been thinking all these years about the most-overrated and revered guitarist of the rock 'n' roll era.
He also gives mad props to Klaus Kinski! Seriously, a book pretty much about the fight game that finds time to praise the insane genius that is Kinksi! Those last two small sections of the book were enough to push my rating up from three to four stars (I secretly (not so secretly now) hate myself whenever I give a fighting book more than three stars.
Oh right, and the number one walk-out song recommendation he has? "How Soon is Now" by The Smiths! Who cares if he's a conservative, if he's going to recommend fighters make their walk to the octagon to Morrissey and Marr I'm going to have to love the guy.*****
Possible best quote of the book? "Do yourself a favor: when trying to decide between taking karate or tae kwon do, choose suicide instead."
I know pretty much anyone reading this doesn't really care about any of this stuff, so I'm going to wrap this review up. But this is one of the more entertaining books out there written by an MMA fighter, and there are no sob stories about growing up abused to be found in it.
*Those people being the people who sit in the store all day reading books about how to fight, usually along with magazines about pro-wrestling and guns. These people are to be pitied but not feared. Seriously, do you think someone who spends their days trying to learn how to punch someone while sitting on their fat ass in a bookstore is ever going to be a real threat? But, what about the guns? These people are poor, that is why they spend all day, everyday sitting in a bookstore, where are they going to get money to buy guns, I'm sure the little bit of money they do get from doing whatever job or organization that gives pity checks to middle aged men with the interests of a young teenage boy deprived of an xBox goes towards paying for WWE PPV (pay per view) events. At least one person I work with has a bit of fear of these types and he won't believe me that they are as harmless as a declawed house cat.
**It's always the stupidest shit these people read. Seriously, you aren't going to be a ninja. If you want to read a fighting book that I'm guessing might have something worthwhile (i.e., practical, as in something that maybe you can do that will be effective if someone was going to try to kick your ass) I'd think that the two volumes of Greg Jackson's books might be the best thing down there in the sports section. I haven't actually looked through these books, but I'm making an educated guess that there is some good no-nonsense stuff in them. Or maybe the Anderson Silva striking book. Not that I recommend trying to learn to fight from books, I've been taking fighting classes for over a year now and when I leaf through my "Fedor teaches you how to fight book" I learn nothing, not because there probably aren't good tips, but because as Mister Miyagi says in Karate Kid, "Learning Karate from books is fucking stupid Daniel-san!"
***"Lay and Pray' is a style that some fighters with strong wrestling backgrounds used in the earlier days. It involves pretty much just taking down the opponent, and then controlling the fight by keeping them pinned down and punching them a bit, but mostly just keeping them pinned to the ground. It's fairly boring to watch and today you don't see it too often. Most fighters know that they need to put on exciting fights if they want to see their careers move upwards.
****Pound for pound fighter arguments people seem to love to make. To me they make no sense. How do you even judge who the best pound for pound fighter would be? What would Jon Jones fight like if he weighed as much as Jose Aldo? Would he be a good fighter without his size? He's fast as a light-heavy weight, but what would he be like if he was say a featherweight? What kind of strength would GSP have if he were a heavy-weight? It's seriously like comparing apples and oranges with a whole bunch of other fantastical variables thrown in. But if you just go on the elusive idea of 'fighting skill' do you give a great brawler who is willing to stand toe to toe with someone and beat the shit out of someone a higher or lower standing than someone like GSP or Silva who no one has seen in an actual 'fight' for a couple of years now, instead we see master technicians pick someone apart with unstoppable game plans, do we force the master technician to stand and bang with a Wanderlei SIlva type fighter? Is knowing how to almost totally minimize any risks make a great fighter?
That said, I'll throw in my unjustified opinion about the top 5 pound for pound fighters right now. They all fight in the UFC currently (this list is as of 5/20/2012, I believe that it will change dramatically in the next year).
1.Dan Henderson - I feel like the over-40 year old fighter is unstoppable right now. I believe if given the chance and it were physically possible he would get to any weight needed and mop the floor with the the other pound for pound hopefuls.
2. Jon Jones - He's on the verge of falling into the boring champion category, but I think he'd still be willing to get into a war. This is something I don't think numbers 4 and 5 would necessarily be willing to do.
3. Jose Aldo - He's a monster and again willing to goto war. I have a feeling that the Korean Zombie is going to be his downfall, and then I will need to rethink his place in light of Chan Sung Jung, but that is still in the future and I'm talking about today.
4. Anderson Silva - So fucking boring but basically unbeatable up until now. I'm really hoping that Sonnen defeats him in their rematch (If Anderson Silva really wants to be known as the Greatest of All Time and I were Anderson Silva I'd announce my imminent retirement, he's getting into his later 30's and it would cement his legacy if he could go out on top. If I were him I'd announce I plan to retire but only after four more fights, first I'd defeat Sonnen in the rematch, then say that I'm dropping a weight class to beat GSP and then go up a weight class to beat Jon Jones, then maybe choose to defend the middle weight title one last time and call it quits. If he could do that (I'm not actually sure he could physically make the weight to fight GSP, but this is fantasy land) he would prove that he was the best and leave the UFC in disarray by retiring while holding on to three belts).
5. GSP - A borderline boring fighter who used to put on great fights. His game plans are works of art though and I look forward to seeing him fight just to see what he comes up with to nullify his opponents. I'm not sure what would happen if the game plan failed and he went to war though. The last time I remember that happening Matt Serra defeated him.
*****If I had to choose walk-out songs? Top five picks (in fantasy land, some of these songs would never be acceptable, either because they are too short or because they have bad words in them, but since I'm never going to be a fighter it's ok for my fantasy top five walk-out songs to exist the way they are).
1. Devoid of Faith's cover of Negative Approach's "Ready to Fight" - more punch than the original.
2. Neutral Milk Hotel - "King of Carrot Flowers Pts 2-3".
3. Arcade Fire - "Tunnels".
4. Fugazi - "Repeater".
5. Blatz = "Fuk Shit Up"
These fight book reviews, and reviews that degenerate into ramblings about fighting aren't my most-popular ones. I can imagine that people see them and say something like, fuck this I don't give a shit about the sort of gay over glorified professional wrestling that Greg keeps seeming to think anyone besides himself actually cares about. I can imagine that, but I imagine that like I imagine ghosts, God and unicorns, as mere figments of the imagination. What I rather think is that these are my most popular reviews, people checking them out to get some knowledge about fighting from a book nerd perspective and then going off to their real life friends and dropping little bits of of the information I've imparted free of charge to make themselves seem something (I don't know what knowing anything about MMA makes you, but I need to come up with something, so I'm going to say that it's to bond with and make conversation with some dude with cauliflowered ears who for some unknown reason you feel the need to be on the goodside of), the total lack of votes on these reviews is because people are embarrassed to say they like the reviews, the same way I'm embarrassed to go into the sports section at work and select a book from the shelf.
All that preamble out of the way, you are probably asking yourself, who is Chael Sonnen? Well he's a middle weight fighter in the UFC, probably best known for being arrested on federal charges for money laundering and then banned from fighting for six months because of abnormally high testosterone. He's also a very entertaining personality, one of a handful out there that seem genuinely funny and smart. Until his last couple of fights he was pretty much one of the last remaining fighters in the UFC of the 'lay and pray' strategy.*** Now he's starting to become more of a well rounded fighter. He's not someone who is probably going to be talked about as best pound for pound fighter in the world****, but he is the fighter who came closest to dethroning Anderson Silva from his long-held Middleweight championship, and is set to face him again later this year in a fight that I hope will finally insert some excitement into the upper reaches of the division.
Chael Sonnen is the only hope I see in making the Middleweight division really interesting again.
Oh, and his book is pretty entertaining.
He covers topics that I somewhat disagree with him on. He's pretty conservative and we don't necessarily see eye to eye on everything, but I wasn't looking to read this book to agree with him on animal rights. What I do see eye to eye with him on (well sort of) are topics such as boring fighters, ridiculous personas fighters adopt, the nonsense they spout off, and the truly awful musical tastes of most fighters along with their choice of walkout songs. People should heed his words on music. The musical selections of most fighters are unbearably bad, like you think that maybe it's ok because these people have been hit in the head so many times bad that they no longer can tell decent music from criminal sonic assaults. He also has the guts to say that Jimi Hendrix is a decent guitar player but not the genius that he's normally spoken of. Thank you for putting into print what I've been thinking all these years about the most-overrated and revered guitarist of the rock 'n' roll era.
He also gives mad props to Klaus Kinski! Seriously, a book pretty much about the fight game that finds time to praise the insane genius that is Kinksi! Those last two small sections of the book were enough to push my rating up from three to four stars (I secretly (not so secretly now) hate myself whenever I give a fighting book more than three stars.
Oh right, and the number one walk-out song recommendation he has? "How Soon is Now" by The Smiths! Who cares if he's a conservative, if he's going to recommend fighters make their walk to the octagon to Morrissey and Marr I'm going to have to love the guy.*****
Possible best quote of the book? "Do yourself a favor: when trying to decide between taking karate or tae kwon do, choose suicide instead."
I know pretty much anyone reading this doesn't really care about any of this stuff, so I'm going to wrap this review up. But this is one of the more entertaining books out there written by an MMA fighter, and there are no sob stories about growing up abused to be found in it.
*Those people being the people who sit in the store all day reading books about how to fight, usually along with magazines about pro-wrestling and guns. These people are to be pitied but not feared. Seriously, do you think someone who spends their days trying to learn how to punch someone while sitting on their fat ass in a bookstore is ever going to be a real threat? But, what about the guns? These people are poor, that is why they spend all day, everyday sitting in a bookstore, where are they going to get money to buy guns, I'm sure the little bit of money they do get from doing whatever job or organization that gives pity checks to middle aged men with the interests of a young teenage boy deprived of an xBox goes towards paying for WWE PPV (pay per view) events. At least one person I work with has a bit of fear of these types and he won't believe me that they are as harmless as a declawed house cat.
**It's always the stupidest shit these people read. Seriously, you aren't going to be a ninja. If you want to read a fighting book that I'm guessing might have something worthwhile (i.e., practical, as in something that maybe you can do that will be effective if someone was going to try to kick your ass) I'd think that the two volumes of Greg Jackson's books might be the best thing down there in the sports section. I haven't actually looked through these books, but I'm making an educated guess that there is some good no-nonsense stuff in them. Or maybe the Anderson Silva striking book. Not that I recommend trying to learn to fight from books, I've been taking fighting classes for over a year now and when I leaf through my "Fedor teaches you how to fight book" I learn nothing, not because there probably aren't good tips, but because as Mister Miyagi says in Karate Kid, "Learning Karate from books is fucking stupid Daniel-san!"
***"Lay and Pray' is a style that some fighters with strong wrestling backgrounds used in the earlier days. It involves pretty much just taking down the opponent, and then controlling the fight by keeping them pinned down and punching them a bit, but mostly just keeping them pinned to the ground. It's fairly boring to watch and today you don't see it too often. Most fighters know that they need to put on exciting fights if they want to see their careers move upwards.
****Pound for pound fighter arguments people seem to love to make. To me they make no sense. How do you even judge who the best pound for pound fighter would be? What would Jon Jones fight like if he weighed as much as Jose Aldo? Would he be a good fighter without his size? He's fast as a light-heavy weight, but what would he be like if he was say a featherweight? What kind of strength would GSP have if he were a heavy-weight? It's seriously like comparing apples and oranges with a whole bunch of other fantastical variables thrown in. But if you just go on the elusive idea of 'fighting skill' do you give a great brawler who is willing to stand toe to toe with someone and beat the shit out of someone a higher or lower standing than someone like GSP or Silva who no one has seen in an actual 'fight' for a couple of years now, instead we see master technicians pick someone apart with unstoppable game plans, do we force the master technician to stand and bang with a Wanderlei SIlva type fighter? Is knowing how to almost totally minimize any risks make a great fighter?
That said, I'll throw in my unjustified opinion about the top 5 pound for pound fighters right now. They all fight in the UFC currently (this list is as of 5/20/2012, I believe that it will change dramatically in the next year).
1.Dan Henderson - I feel like the over-40 year old fighter is unstoppable right now. I believe if given the chance and it were physically possible he would get to any weight needed and mop the floor with the the other pound for pound hopefuls.
2. Jon Jones - He's on the verge of falling into the boring champion category, but I think he'd still be willing to get into a war. This is something I don't think numbers 4 and 5 would necessarily be willing to do.
3. Jose Aldo - He's a monster and again willing to goto war. I have a feeling that the Korean Zombie is going to be his downfall, and then I will need to rethink his place in light of Chan Sung Jung, but that is still in the future and I'm talking about today.
4. Anderson Silva - So fucking boring but basically unbeatable up until now. I'm really hoping that Sonnen defeats him in their rematch (If Anderson Silva really wants to be known as the Greatest of All Time and I were Anderson Silva I'd announce my imminent retirement, he's getting into his later 30's and it would cement his legacy if he could go out on top. If I were him I'd announce I plan to retire but only after four more fights, first I'd defeat Sonnen in the rematch, then say that I'm dropping a weight class to beat GSP and then go up a weight class to beat Jon Jones, then maybe choose to defend the middle weight title one last time and call it quits. If he could do that (I'm not actually sure he could physically make the weight to fight GSP, but this is fantasy land) he would prove that he was the best and leave the UFC in disarray by retiring while holding on to three belts).
5. GSP - A borderline boring fighter who used to put on great fights. His game plans are works of art though and I look forward to seeing him fight just to see what he comes up with to nullify his opponents. I'm not sure what would happen if the game plan failed and he went to war though. The last time I remember that happening Matt Serra defeated him.
*****If I had to choose walk-out songs? Top five picks (in fantasy land, some of these songs would never be acceptable, either because they are too short or because they have bad words in them, but since I'm never going to be a fighter it's ok for my fantasy top five walk-out songs to exist the way they are).
1. Devoid of Faith's cover of Negative Approach's "Ready to Fight" - more punch than the original.
2. Neutral Milk Hotel - "King of Carrot Flowers Pts 2-3".
3. Arcade Fire - "Tunnels".
4. Fugazi - "Repeater".
5. Blatz = "Fuk Shit Up"
January 29, 2014
Attractive as an on-screen personality, not so much as a writer.
This is a hectic book just about everything he could think about and you're bound to disagree a lot with the man (the myth and the legend) with way too many try-hard jokes in there. Essentially this is Chael Sonnen's myspace blog that never happened. Some of it (as in, few) is funny, but a lot of it is, well..
just obnoxious. His take on politics especially, and not because I don't agree with him, but because of this "holier than thou" he likes to point the finger first at the oh-so-hated Lefties. Guy talks about integrity and follows with like two pages with just verbal abuse and generalized statements. Once that goes out the way it's.. OK, I guess, some of it is funny and it gets enjoyable at the end of it.
And whilst the first and last chapter of the book is a nice touch to the format of the overall directionless book (and, good lord, what a paper waster with the images and text formatting; you breeze through the pages for all the wrong reasons), a lot of his emotions he says he goes through in those chapters.. I don't know. I'm struggling between "embellished" and "full of shit", some of it really has the feeling of just being added just because it sounds good and doesn't really feel honest.
And having the knowledge of Sonnen's verbal versatility and his brashly honed persona, you could see how those factors could blur the lines of what's real and "what just sounds nice".
This is a hectic book just about everything he could think about and you're bound to disagree a lot with the man (the myth and the legend) with way too many try-hard jokes in there. Essentially this is Chael Sonnen's myspace blog that never happened. Some of it (as in, few) is funny, but a lot of it is, well..
just obnoxious. His take on politics especially, and not because I don't agree with him, but because of this "holier than thou" he likes to point the finger first at the oh-so-hated Lefties. Guy talks about integrity and follows with like two pages with just verbal abuse and generalized statements. Once that goes out the way it's.. OK, I guess, some of it is funny and it gets enjoyable at the end of it.
And whilst the first and last chapter of the book is a nice touch to the format of the overall directionless book (and, good lord, what a paper waster with the images and text formatting; you breeze through the pages for all the wrong reasons), a lot of his emotions he says he goes through in those chapters.. I don't know. I'm struggling between "embellished" and "full of shit", some of it really has the feeling of just being added just because it sounds good and doesn't really feel honest.
And having the knowledge of Sonnen's verbal versatility and his brashly honed persona, you could see how those factors could blur the lines of what's real and "what just sounds nice".
May 30, 2012
4/5
An important thing to consider before you read this, especially if you don't already know anything about the real Middleweight Champ, Chael P. Sonnen: he is one of those conservatives that shit talk the other side really really bad.
To avoid people saying that Liberals do the same, I say, "yes they do." Why am I bringing this up you ask? Because if you're a Liberal or just hate conservative views, this will anger you at times and you will see it as ignorant. I'm not a Liberal, but I don't agree with a lot of his political reviews.
With that said, outside of playing the insult card on those issues like politicians and people on both sides like to do, he articulates his arguments well. And isn't that what we like about Sonnen?
His writing style is conversational, he goes from being genuine to a troll, much like on camera. He's funny when he wants to be and then he can pull your heartstrings when he wants as well. He tells stories and makes you laugh in the way any good comedian does.
To be honest, I love Chael as a fighter and a public persona, despite my disagreement with his political views. I was afraid that he'd release one of those, for lack of a better term, "comedic" self-help books on how to be A REAL MAN, MAN, much like The Alphabet of Manliness. I'm over that genre unless done well. I enjoy the Archer book that came out because it was funny and Archer is a spy. And a cartoon character...
But I digress. This book isn't that. This book is a collection of rants on politics, music, movies and other things. It is a careful reflection on what he goes through as a fighter. I hate being told what a real man is, and this book may do a little bit of that but it's not over-bearing.
Ultimately this book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: entertain and push buttons. This is what Sonnen does. There's real stuff in there, emotional stuff, mixed in with more aggressive opinions. Plus I learned he's quite a film buff and seems to have excellent taste in movies.
An important thing to consider before you read this, especially if you don't already know anything about the real Middleweight Champ, Chael P. Sonnen: he is one of those conservatives that shit talk the other side really really bad.
To avoid people saying that Liberals do the same, I say, "yes they do." Why am I bringing this up you ask? Because if you're a Liberal or just hate conservative views, this will anger you at times and you will see it as ignorant. I'm not a Liberal, but I don't agree with a lot of his political reviews.
With that said, outside of playing the insult card on those issues like politicians and people on both sides like to do, he articulates his arguments well. And isn't that what we like about Sonnen?
His writing style is conversational, he goes from being genuine to a troll, much like on camera. He's funny when he wants to be and then he can pull your heartstrings when he wants as well. He tells stories and makes you laugh in the way any good comedian does.
To be honest, I love Chael as a fighter and a public persona, despite my disagreement with his political views. I was afraid that he'd release one of those, for lack of a better term, "comedic" self-help books on how to be A REAL MAN, MAN, much like The Alphabet of Manliness. I'm over that genre unless done well. I enjoy the Archer book that came out because it was funny and Archer is a spy. And a cartoon character...
But I digress. This book isn't that. This book is a collection of rants on politics, music, movies and other things. It is a careful reflection on what he goes through as a fighter. I hate being told what a real man is, and this book may do a little bit of that but it's not over-bearing.
Ultimately this book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: entertain and push buttons. This is what Sonnen does. There's real stuff in there, emotional stuff, mixed in with more aggressive opinions. Plus I learned he's quite a film buff and seems to have excellent taste in movies.
November 26, 2012
Now, I am a huge Chael Sonnen fan and I also consider myself to be a decent pro-wrestling mark, so I have an overall understanding of Chael's gimmick and persona. He is no Rock, or Ric Flair, mind you, but in MMA he is one of the very few [and let me stress the word "VERY"] who understand marketing and the importance of making the public care for your fight. Having said that [and having given credit, where credit is due], this book was underwhelming. It was basically an amateurish attempt at stand-up comedy in written form (and, let me assure you, I would suck a bag of dicks at it, compared to him). It was fairly obvious that he had not much to say and not many opinions to share on his views of the World, because I turned many blank or half-blank pages with huge images and few words scattered on a wide canvas. Basically, if you're a fan of Chael's, like I am - read it, because you won't be bored and it will take you little to no time to finish it, but if you're one of those MMA-purists who take everything he says literally and can't appreciate the persona he created: don't. Just don't. And please drown in a sea of AIDS.
May 19, 2012
I was really looking forward to this book. I follow Chael's antics on youtube and twitter and am always highly entertained. He is certainly one of, if not the best, men on the mike in sports. His quick wit ensures that whether you catch him in an interview, q&a, or post-fight promo he will deliver the goods. Perhaps that is why I was somewhat let down by the book. I figured he would be able to really provide some good material since he had time to think it out a little more. Instead the book is a collection of short chapters separated by blank pages in many cases. I was left feeling that there wasn't enough depth in any of the sections. I still wanted to know more. I heard Chael on a radio show say that he dictated the whole book and then it was transcribed. That rings true as the book has a very conversational tone. In this sense I think I would have enjoyed it more as an audiobook. I would still recommend this to fans of Chael, but I think my expectations were too high.
Now I must wait until July 7th to see him dethrone Anderson Silva once and for all.
Now I must wait until July 7th to see him dethrone Anderson Silva once and for all.
August 23, 2018
Love me some Chael, but this book?...not so much.
January 7, 2018
Chael P. Sonnen is one of my favorite fighters of all time. The P stands for Perfection. He recently released a book called The Four Pack Revolution. It is a book focused on dieting and fitness. I have never read a book that addressed health, diet, exercise, etc.. I really wanted to give it a shot because it was written by one of the most charismatic athletes in the history of the UFC. I did a little research (an amazon store search) and saw that Chael had released The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment a few years back. I had no idea this existed so I bought both books. This book definitely interested me a little more than The Four Pack Revolution but I decided to give both a shot.
This book was all over the place in the best way possible. I am not sure what I was expecting. This book is more like a collection of opinion pieces and essays than a memoir. There are chapters that touch on his start in wrestling, his memories growing up, his relationship to his father, and his disappointment with his fight with Anderson Silva. These were definitely my favorite chapters. There are also chapters that focus on politics, music, and movies. These seemed a little out of place to me. But all of these chapters were heavy on Chael's signature voice.
Chael's voice is the biggest reason I became a fan. He is great at wrestling and fighting but his interviews are like none other. He is extremely intelligent and very opinionated. He says some of the funniest things I have ever heard. He often comes off as a troll but you can tell all of this is done to sell his fights. He is extremely entertaining. This book put his voice on display. Even though he is critical and opinionated on a lot of topics, there is a lot of heart displayed in this book.
I was surprised by his opinions on a lot of topics covered in this book. Chael has a very conservative and religious outlook on life. He is very critical in this book of Barack Obama and topics like global warming, treatment of animals, the occupy movement, among other hot topics of when this book was released. He is also not a big fan of Aerosmith or Metallica FYI. Even though I don't agree with all of his views, I loved reading his views. He is extremely articulate, precise, and provides his point of view in a take it or leave it type package. I found his perspective on these topics very interesting. I have always respected his intelligence and I love hearing different perspectives on various topics.
The parts I loved the most were definitely the chapters that focused on his fighting and his relationship with his family. His relationship with his father almost made me tear up and reminded me a lot of my relationship with my Dad. I definitely highlighted a lot of lines in this book. Chael is the king of witty one liners.This book was definitely different than I expected but it was most definitely Chael Sonnen. That was what I was looking for.
This book was all over the place in the best way possible. I am not sure what I was expecting. This book is more like a collection of opinion pieces and essays than a memoir. There are chapters that touch on his start in wrestling, his memories growing up, his relationship to his father, and his disappointment with his fight with Anderson Silva. These were definitely my favorite chapters. There are also chapters that focus on politics, music, and movies. These seemed a little out of place to me. But all of these chapters were heavy on Chael's signature voice.
Chael's voice is the biggest reason I became a fan. He is great at wrestling and fighting but his interviews are like none other. He is extremely intelligent and very opinionated. He says some of the funniest things I have ever heard. He often comes off as a troll but you can tell all of this is done to sell his fights. He is extremely entertaining. This book put his voice on display. Even though he is critical and opinionated on a lot of topics, there is a lot of heart displayed in this book.
I was surprised by his opinions on a lot of topics covered in this book. Chael has a very conservative and religious outlook on life. He is very critical in this book of Barack Obama and topics like global warming, treatment of animals, the occupy movement, among other hot topics of when this book was released. He is also not a big fan of Aerosmith or Metallica FYI. Even though I don't agree with all of his views, I loved reading his views. He is extremely articulate, precise, and provides his point of view in a take it or leave it type package. I found his perspective on these topics very interesting. I have always respected his intelligence and I love hearing different perspectives on various topics.
The parts I loved the most were definitely the chapters that focused on his fighting and his relationship with his family. His relationship with his father almost made me tear up and reminded me a lot of my relationship with my Dad. I definitely highlighted a lot of lines in this book. Chael is the king of witty one liners.This book was definitely different than I expected but it was most definitely Chael Sonnen. That was what I was looking for.
August 7, 2024
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. You get a book by Uncle Chael and you expect to be entertained, not close the book wiser. Wisdom doesn’t travel via osmosis after all. As much as I laughed throughout, I had a lot to consider. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“Fighting is an obligation just like real life is an obligation.”
“But it’s the same carpet and the same office…”
“When [someone] can convince [another] of his own authority, he is shaping greatness.”
“Nobody lived in peace before someone else showed up.”
“It’s hard to pity and respect someone at the same time. Take your pick and live with the choice.”
“Social media doesn’t facilitate friendship; it encourages using your friends for ceaseless validation…Get someone else to take your picture so that at least one other personally witnesses your narcissism.”
All of this is to say, I don’t agree with everything he says, but what he says more often than not makes a whole ton of sense. Guy loves his country, is an upstanding role model, and deeply understands the human psyche. Awesome, short, and easy read.
“Fighting is an obligation just like real life is an obligation.”
“But it’s the same carpet and the same office…”
“When [someone] can convince [another] of his own authority, he is shaping greatness.”
“Nobody lived in peace before someone else showed up.”
“It’s hard to pity and respect someone at the same time. Take your pick and live with the choice.”
“Social media doesn’t facilitate friendship; it encourages using your friends for ceaseless validation…Get someone else to take your picture so that at least one other personally witnesses your narcissism.”
All of this is to say, I don’t agree with everything he says, but what he says more often than not makes a whole ton of sense. Guy loves his country, is an upstanding role model, and deeply understands the human psyche. Awesome, short, and easy read.
July 21, 2019
9.7/10 Before you read this book you need to understand who Chael P Sonnen is. He is a retired MMA superstar, podcast host, competitor on the tv show “The Apprentice”, compassionate republican, Sociology degree from the University or Oregon, volunteer coach, former politician, charged for money laundering, allegedly tested positive for taking every illegal substance by the California state commission, hands down the best trash talker in the game and apparently the Letter P in his name stands for perfection.
When reading this book expect to read a handful of rants ranging from Richard Nixon, French Canadians, endangered animals, social media, the mean streets of West Linn Oregon, Brazil, treatment for terrorists, walkout songs and how “The Sopranos”and “The Godfather” are overrated. You will also get some behind the scenes perspectives on pre and post fight experiences and an inside look of the mindset of a professional fighter.
When reading this book expect to read a handful of rants ranging from Richard Nixon, French Canadians, endangered animals, social media, the mean streets of West Linn Oregon, Brazil, treatment for terrorists, walkout songs and how “The Sopranos”and “The Godfather” are overrated. You will also get some behind the scenes perspectives on pre and post fight experiences and an inside look of the mindset of a professional fighter.
June 6, 2018
Chael Sonnen's rise from small stages like Bodog Fights to a championship contender in the UFC is one of the most exciting and intriguing stories in mma. All controversy aside, Sonnen willed himself into a contender; through hard work, promotional skills and wins in the octagon. His pro-wrestling, smack-talk approach was unique to mma at the time. Like it or not, there's no doubt fans feel his influence today.
I pre-ordered this book, hoping to get insights into Sonnen's life and career. Unfortunately "The Voice of Reason" is mostly opinions on unrelated topics like politics and movies. Although I always appreciate Sonnen's reasoning, particularly when our opinions differ, the lack of life story disappointed me. I wanted more stories from the road, the locker rooms, the wrestling mats, the gyms (like Team Quest!) and the fights.
I pre-ordered this book, hoping to get insights into Sonnen's life and career. Unfortunately "The Voice of Reason" is mostly opinions on unrelated topics like politics and movies. Although I always appreciate Sonnen's reasoning, particularly when our opinions differ, the lack of life story disappointed me. I wanted more stories from the road, the locker rooms, the wrestling mats, the gyms (like Team Quest!) and the fights.
May 23, 2025
He’s got the biggest arms the greatest charms and he’s gonna do all the harm the great Chael P Sonnen takes you through his how the world is falling to shambles (and this was all but eleven years ago) and how the world should be through the mind of this great man he enlightens readers to things unbeknownst to the common man and makes things clear in the way only the man from West Linn Oregan can. Can’t wait for an actually autobiography on the man who never lost a round
April 24, 2019
Chael Sonnen is an extremely funny person and his great wit comes across masterfully in this book. This is basically a book of Sonnen giving his thoughts on various topics. There are so many huge laughs in this book, #1 being when he talks about Flow the Progressive spokes woman, which left me in tears. Honestly, this is just a funny easy and great little read.
October 7, 2018
Quite possibly the greatest trash talker of all time in mma and he has a hell of a way with a story
June 26, 2019
Love the way the non-conformist Chael thinks. The book took me a day. The Voice of Reason....Three stars.
May 26, 2020
Chael is very funny but this book randomly moves from one topic to another. Some chapters are great, some are terrible. It's a decent book but could have been so much better
June 14, 2023
“Read entirely in Chael’s voice”. Hilarious book.
July 15, 2025
Chael Sonnen undefeated, undisputed champion.
April 3, 2021
I wanted to get to know Chael and now I feel like I do. Be warned though, if you are sensitive and have your feelings hurt easily, stay away. Chael delivers his thoughts and realities on a silver platter and some people won't have the stomach for it.
April 5, 2016
Are you ready to be enlightened?
UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen is one of the mouthiest and most polarizing figures in mixed martial arts (MMA) today. Some love him while others despise him. Either way, though, after winning five of his last six fights and having pushed champion Anderson Silva further than any other man in the UFC history, you'd damn well better respect him.
With a rematch against Silva looming, there was no better time for Sonnen to release his first book though Victory Belt, 'The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment.'
Sonnen or "ChaCha" as he calls himself throughout the book, possesses a unique sense of humor and a certain brashness that is extremely rare in this day and age of MMA fighters.
There's no one quite like Chael.
For example, the forward to the book is written by none other than Jesus Christ himself (although his prose is remarkably similar to Sonnen's).
Now for the big question, is this 220 page piece of work worthy of your hard-earned cash?
Short answer: It depends..
If you're a fan of "Chael-speak" (and you probably know what I'm talking about), you'll be getting a lot of it. Sonnen's style is very "stream of conscious," flowing from topic to topic, constantly contradicting himself and making bold claim after bold claim.
Sonnen will devote an entire chapter to his undying hatred for social media, and then make sure to plug his twitter @sonnench, he'll decry the use of country music for walk-out songs while sheepishly admitting he uses one himself.
The Republican ex-realtor has opinions and he's certainly not afraid to share them. Whether it's his proclamation of Richard Nixon as the greatest President who ever lived, why global warming is stupid (it's called summer) or even why he doesn't believe in the "Occupy" movement. His platform is staunchly conservative to the point of Stephen Colbert levels of absurdity and it's tough to tell whether he actually believes everything he's even saying.
While there are definitely ridiculous moments, what really stood out to me was was when he seemingly breaks character, giving you a glimpse of the man behind the mask: his fears before a fight, the emptiness once a match is over, even the horrible feeling after losing to Anderson Silva. Best of all were where he talks about the people who influenced him the most in life, his wrestling coach and his father.
Sonnen also scores with chapters translating fighter cliches into what they are actually thinking, what constitutes proper walk-out music (you can tell he really cares about this subject) and how to properly mess with an opponent before a fight.
You'll hear his sides of the California State Athletic Commission debacle, hypogonadism and how his dreams of being a politician were crushed after the felony charge. Granted, this is just one side of the tale, so take it with a grain of salt.
All in all, the book hits more than it misses. At times Sonnen seems to be trying too hard and he does tend to get preachy, but if you're a true fan of Chael P. Sonnen (with the P standing for "Perfection"), then you'll enjoy every last minute of it.
If you're not a Sonnen fan, I can't guarantee you'll enjoy the book, although there are still moments where you'll catch yourself chuckling at a random quip or a snide remark at some other poor fighter's expense. I'll give "The Voice of Reason" a tentative recommendation.
UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen is one of the mouthiest and most polarizing figures in mixed martial arts (MMA) today. Some love him while others despise him. Either way, though, after winning five of his last six fights and having pushed champion Anderson Silva further than any other man in the UFC history, you'd damn well better respect him.
With a rematch against Silva looming, there was no better time for Sonnen to release his first book though Victory Belt, 'The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment.'
Sonnen or "ChaCha" as he calls himself throughout the book, possesses a unique sense of humor and a certain brashness that is extremely rare in this day and age of MMA fighters.
There's no one quite like Chael.
For example, the forward to the book is written by none other than Jesus Christ himself (although his prose is remarkably similar to Sonnen's).
Now for the big question, is this 220 page piece of work worthy of your hard-earned cash?
Short answer: It depends..
If you're a fan of "Chael-speak" (and you probably know what I'm talking about), you'll be getting a lot of it. Sonnen's style is very "stream of conscious," flowing from topic to topic, constantly contradicting himself and making bold claim after bold claim.
Sonnen will devote an entire chapter to his undying hatred for social media, and then make sure to plug his twitter @sonnench, he'll decry the use of country music for walk-out songs while sheepishly admitting he uses one himself.
The Republican ex-realtor has opinions and he's certainly not afraid to share them. Whether it's his proclamation of Richard Nixon as the greatest President who ever lived, why global warming is stupid (it's called summer) or even why he doesn't believe in the "Occupy" movement. His platform is staunchly conservative to the point of Stephen Colbert levels of absurdity and it's tough to tell whether he actually believes everything he's even saying.
While there are definitely ridiculous moments, what really stood out to me was was when he seemingly breaks character, giving you a glimpse of the man behind the mask: his fears before a fight, the emptiness once a match is over, even the horrible feeling after losing to Anderson Silva. Best of all were where he talks about the people who influenced him the most in life, his wrestling coach and his father.
Sonnen also scores with chapters translating fighter cliches into what they are actually thinking, what constitutes proper walk-out music (you can tell he really cares about this subject) and how to properly mess with an opponent before a fight.
You'll hear his sides of the California State Athletic Commission debacle, hypogonadism and how his dreams of being a politician were crushed after the felony charge. Granted, this is just one side of the tale, so take it with a grain of salt.
All in all, the book hits more than it misses. At times Sonnen seems to be trying too hard and he does tend to get preachy, but if you're a true fan of Chael P. Sonnen (with the P standing for "Perfection"), then you'll enjoy every last minute of it.
If you're not a Sonnen fan, I can't guarantee you'll enjoy the book, although there are still moments where you'll catch yourself chuckling at a random quip or a snide remark at some other poor fighter's expense. I'll give "The Voice of Reason" a tentative recommendation.
May 30, 2012
Chael Sonnen is one of the most interesting fighters in the UFC. Some people love him, others hate him. I find him hillarious. He likes to push peoples buttons, and just has a really interesting sense of humor. In the tradition of people like Andy Kaufman, or even Borat, you can't quite tell if what you are watching is an act, or even if it's funny. I would suggest looking up "The animated tales of Chael Sonnen" on youtube, or even his interview with CSC where he walked off the set. He's also an elite fighter, pushing Anderson Silva far beyond what anyone else came even close to doing. Because of these factors, I was really interested to see what his book would be, I got it right when it came out, and it's a very quick read.
It is somewhat disorganized and unpolished. Basically a series of stories that seemed like they popped out of his head, and then went down on paper. There isn't an overall arc to the book. He doesn't tell too many stories of his youth and how he got to where he is today. A good chunk of the stories aren't even about fighting. He get's into politics, social networking, he has a pretty funny comparison of the forms of martial arts. Theres an entire chapter on how Christain Bale was right to go off on the person who was tinkering with the lights at a time when Bale was trying to act. It's almost like the stories you might hear if you invited your neighbor over for a BBQ, especially if your neighbor is someone who gets into a fight on purpose twice a year. He goes on one long rant about how fighters pick lously walk out music. He does tell the story of the Anderson Silva fight. You can never quite tell where the charachter ends, and the real person begins, but that's all part of the Chael Sonnen experience I suppose. He does specifically point out that many parts of the book will contridict others, and that there's a real possibility that much of the book is part of the show he is putting on. I did have a good time reading this book, and would recommend it to others. The only other fighter book I have read so far is BJ Penns, and these are completly different. BJ's book was a linear story, upbringing, his early years fighting, his later years fighting. This one bounces back and forth a lot. Some stories were intergral to how he became the person and fighter he is today, and others are just stories.
It is somewhat disorganized and unpolished. Basically a series of stories that seemed like they popped out of his head, and then went down on paper. There isn't an overall arc to the book. He doesn't tell too many stories of his youth and how he got to where he is today. A good chunk of the stories aren't even about fighting. He get's into politics, social networking, he has a pretty funny comparison of the forms of martial arts. Theres an entire chapter on how Christain Bale was right to go off on the person who was tinkering with the lights at a time when Bale was trying to act. It's almost like the stories you might hear if you invited your neighbor over for a BBQ, especially if your neighbor is someone who gets into a fight on purpose twice a year. He goes on one long rant about how fighters pick lously walk out music. He does tell the story of the Anderson Silva fight. You can never quite tell where the charachter ends, and the real person begins, but that's all part of the Chael Sonnen experience I suppose. He does specifically point out that many parts of the book will contridict others, and that there's a real possibility that much of the book is part of the show he is putting on. I did have a good time reading this book, and would recommend it to others. The only other fighter book I have read so far is BJ Penns, and these are completly different. BJ's book was a linear story, upbringing, his early years fighting, his later years fighting. This one bounces back and forth a lot. Some stories were intergral to how he became the person and fighter he is today, and others are just stories.
June 22, 2012
“The reason they seem so average is that they don’t care, and more to the point, they don’t see a reason to care. The moment you give a kid a reason to give a darn, you have opened the door to his infinite potential.”
Chael Sonnen—The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment
Chael Sonnen’s quote was written in his book entitled “The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment.” From the title alone, the reader can deduce the proses will be the rumblings of a narcissistic, self-absorb, arrogant Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from the mean streets of Westlin, Oregon.
Contrary from the title, Chael Sonnen poses a lighter and more real side to his persona. Like all great fighters, they fight because that’s who they are, that’s what they’re bread to be, it’s in their genes and it’s something they can’t escape.
“Average” kids, like the average up-bring of Chael Sonnen, needed above average role models to entice him to believe in something more, something bigger than him self. Chael Sonnen fortunately had great wrestling coaches and great parents to nurture his extraordinary fighting abilities to “infinite” possibilities.
On a philosophical note, Chael Sonnen offers the reader an undercurrent theme to transcend the norm of pop-culture, mind numbing media, and worthless politicians. Chael Sonnen is truly a man’s man, who believes in the ideals of Americana and the individualism that has governed and sustained this great nation.
I would recommend Chael Sonnen book to any MMA fan.
Chael Sonnen—The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment
Chael Sonnen’s quote was written in his book entitled “The Voice of Reason: A VIP Pass to Enlightenment.” From the title alone, the reader can deduce the proses will be the rumblings of a narcissistic, self-absorb, arrogant Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from the mean streets of Westlin, Oregon.
Contrary from the title, Chael Sonnen poses a lighter and more real side to his persona. Like all great fighters, they fight because that’s who they are, that’s what they’re bread to be, it’s in their genes and it’s something they can’t escape.
“Average” kids, like the average up-bring of Chael Sonnen, needed above average role models to entice him to believe in something more, something bigger than him self. Chael Sonnen fortunately had great wrestling coaches and great parents to nurture his extraordinary fighting abilities to “infinite” possibilities.
On a philosophical note, Chael Sonnen offers the reader an undercurrent theme to transcend the norm of pop-culture, mind numbing media, and worthless politicians. Chael Sonnen is truly a man’s man, who believes in the ideals of Americana and the individualism that has governed and sustained this great nation.
I would recommend Chael Sonnen book to any MMA fan.
April 10, 2013
I wanted to rate this 2.5, but that's not possible. If you're at all familar with Chael Sonnen you'll know what to expect from this book. He gives his opinions on everything from proper walk-out music to why wrestling is the best sport ever. He also explains (in very ambiguous terms) a couple of his more recent controversies (TRT use, money laundering). He also talks about how he's now expected to entertain with everything he says and his process for doing so (including the book). There's nothing groundbreaking or revelatory about the book. I'm not sure I'd recommend it even to hardcore Chael fans. It's not especially entertaining (unlike some of his other more famous soundbites) and it won't leave you feeling like you know him any better. It merely gives a minor glimpse into what one fighter thinks about a myriad of things to do with fighting and not to do with it. It also reads like someone whose heard Chael speak and tried to emulate him. he has some interesting opinions and backs them up with sound reasoning, but nothing you haven't heard from the countless interviews he gives. As an MMA fan I'd suggest B.J. Penn's book (terribly missed titled) or Matt Hughes's book as at least it gives you more insight into what kind of people they are and how they got into fighting in the first place.
August 31, 2012
One of my favorite fighters writes a book, not an autobiography, a book about whatever the hell he wants. It feels like a series of blogs really as the chapters are so disconnected and run the gamut from how we should treat terrorists to his great wrestling coach to why he thinks Godfather is just ok (blasphemy). Now Chael P (for Perfection) Sonnen is not my favorite fighter because he's the best fighter of all time but because he's not afraid to make UFC entertaining and he's not afraid to speak his mind. Also he's funny.
In the book, he straddles the line between the Chael Sonnen character (which is always just the person but with the dial turned to 12) and Chael Sonnen the person behind the character. You can see where some of his personality comes about but sometimes his conservative politics and even his very strong opinions about everything becomes overbearing. Nonetheless, I agree with some of the things he's said even if he's pretty insulting when he says it (all jokingly mind you). I can see some people get offended but those people are wusses anyways.
In the end, I enjoyed it, it's a breezy read, I only wish I could separate the man from the character more to truly understand Chael Sonnen but heck, maybe the character is the real Chael Sonnen.
In the book, he straddles the line between the Chael Sonnen character (which is always just the person but with the dial turned to 12) and Chael Sonnen the person behind the character. You can see where some of his personality comes about but sometimes his conservative politics and even his very strong opinions about everything becomes overbearing. Nonetheless, I agree with some of the things he's said even if he's pretty insulting when he says it (all jokingly mind you). I can see some people get offended but those people are wusses anyways.
In the end, I enjoyed it, it's a breezy read, I only wish I could separate the man from the character more to truly understand Chael Sonnen but heck, maybe the character is the real Chael Sonnen.
June 20, 2021
It took me a while to like Chael but I finally came around. I was a big wrestling fan in the day so I understand the persona/gimmick thing. He’s someone who knew marketing and how to sell fights, which let’s be honest, not a whole hell of a lot of MMA fighters seem to get. I just want to give credit where credit is due.
With that said, I was not a fan of his book. It’s almost like he didn’t really have much to say but wanted to write something just to have a book out. There were a lot of big images, decent sized font, a lot of half pages — things like that when you’re trying to make a book seem bigger than it really is.
Now the things that he did decide to talk about, seemed scattered and completely random. He’s a fighter talking politics for a short chapter and there’s a chapter on Native Americans. What? It literally was almost anything he could think of, he put in there. It’s what a lot of people would call “verbal diarrhea”.
On top of which, he was trying way too hard to be funny and it just didn’t work for him.
There was some stuff I liked though…even though it was few and far between in the 224 pages of mess.
In my opinion he’s great as an on screen personality, not so much as writer.
With that said, I was not a fan of his book. It’s almost like he didn’t really have much to say but wanted to write something just to have a book out. There were a lot of big images, decent sized font, a lot of half pages — things like that when you’re trying to make a book seem bigger than it really is.
Now the things that he did decide to talk about, seemed scattered and completely random. He’s a fighter talking politics for a short chapter and there’s a chapter on Native Americans. What? It literally was almost anything he could think of, he put in there. It’s what a lot of people would call “verbal diarrhea”.
On top of which, he was trying way too hard to be funny and it just didn’t work for him.
There was some stuff I liked though…even though it was few and far between in the 224 pages of mess.
In my opinion he’s great as an on screen personality, not so much as writer.
May 31, 2013
Even after reading, I can not get a good read on this guy. I am just never sure when he is being genuine and when he is in fight promotion mode. This theme carries over from those that know him from TV via as a Fighter, Coach, or Analyst. Chael is clearly a smart guy when it comes to the topic of wrestling, and fighting, and even comedy. I even tend to agree with him when it comes to most of his ideas and his politics, but sometimes I think he goes too far for a laugh. But, that is the downside of his shtick.
The last chapter of the book about what goes through his mind as he walks out to a fight is amazing. So much truth flows from the words he wrote here it is certainly a 5/5. Some of the other chapters are a 1/5. It was almost like they had this 5/5 chapter then tried to put some of his opinions on various topics to stitch together this voice of reason theme, and just didn't quite pull it off.
Funny and entertaining as always the chaos and lack of a clear theme of the book pull it down to a 3/5.
The last chapter of the book about what goes through his mind as he walks out to a fight is amazing. So much truth flows from the words he wrote here it is certainly a 5/5. Some of the other chapters are a 1/5. It was almost like they had this 5/5 chapter then tried to put some of his opinions on various topics to stitch together this voice of reason theme, and just didn't quite pull it off.
Funny and entertaining as always the chaos and lack of a clear theme of the book pull it down to a 3/5.
June 4, 2012
An unfortunate result of a work from the best trash-talker in modern sport.
Chael is clearly trying his best to troll not just MMA fans but also those of a non-conservative nature. He attempts to make up for this by tugging on various heart strings, acting as humble as can be, however all of these emotions and opinions that you find within come off as forced and terribly contrived.
It's an average semi-biographical sports book, but so much of the humor feels so pushed on you that it's hard to read it thinking you're learning anything about this man.
Either a quick way to make some money for Mr. Sonnen or alternatively he isn't nearly as bright as he appears in his interviews.
I made a mistake reading this after Undisputed by Chris Jericho, a bio of a different genre, but a genuinely funny book at hat. Chael comes off as a poor mans Forrest Griffin in his written debut.
May 31, 2012
Hmm...I've been a bit confused as to what I should say about this book. It's witty, it's interesting, it's entertaining. It's the closest thing I've read that compares to Forrest Griffin's initial laugh-out-loud work on the heels of UFC success. Although...it doesn't seem to hold the same hysterically funny content. It is an insightful look at "ways of the world", it has unlimited catchy one-liners,and it even has several mving scenes where you can tell the writer works from the heart. There just seems to be something missing in it for me though. It could possibly be the lack of organization, as topics are seemingly dealt with at random. I still enjoyed it though. 3.5 stars rounds to 4. Worth a read.
June 16, 2013
Random ass book about Chael's opinions on everything from Native Americans, to how the fight with Anderson Silva should've been called earlier, to his thoughts on Obama. Of course, with plenty of Chael-isms thrown in for good measure.
This book amounts to verbal diarhhea on a host of random topics, and I generally like Chael and find him amusing. Too much generalizing about groups he doesn't like, and complete lack of accountability for those he does. Like his own money laundering scheme or Nixon which amounted to the other side being on a witchhunt and both he and Nixon having zero accountability. The testaterone situation actually seems pretty crappy but by then he's already lost a ton of credibility.
Not really worth much.
This book amounts to verbal diarhhea on a host of random topics, and I generally like Chael and find him amusing. Too much generalizing about groups he doesn't like, and complete lack of accountability for those he does. Like his own money laundering scheme or Nixon which amounted to the other side being on a witchhunt and both he and Nixon having zero accountability. The testaterone situation actually seems pretty crappy but by then he's already lost a ton of credibility.
Not really worth much.
September 17, 2013
As an MMA fighter, Chael Sonnen is known for his grinding, slow, wrestling based fights. Many MMA fans and pundits consider him to be a "boring" fighter. That is not the case with his writing ability. As showcased with his pro-wrestling style interviews, Sonnen is able to be witty and serious at the same time. This is shown multiple times throughout the book, as Sonnen expresses his political views, fighting style, and relationships with his family and friends. Whether you are a die hard MMA (or Chael Sonnen) fan, or just someone who happens to pick up this book, you will be laughing from cover to cover due to Chael's great diction, stories, and his apparent lack of modesty.
November 15, 2012
Love him or hate him, Sonnen is a smart guy that deserves to be taken seriously...when he is being serious. In this book, Sonnen shares his opinion on Nixon, work ethic, what it means to be a man, The Godfather, terrorists, walk out songs, etc. What I liked most about this book is that it showed where Sonnen comes from and how much hard work it has taken to get him where he is. This is as a direct result of his father and wrestling coaches.
This is a quick read and there's enough solid material to make it worth your time. Plus, it'll make you laugh.
This is a quick read and there's enough solid material to make it worth your time. Plus, it'll make you laugh.
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