Chael Sonnen, a former UFC and Bellator fighter, disclosed in a discussion with FLAGRANT that he takes inspiration from wrestlers such as Stone Cold Steve Austin when crafting his MMA speeches. He emphasized that contributions from the WWE Hall of Fame member significantly influenced his promotional speeches against Jon Jones.
He shared: “In truth, I always found myself contemplating, ‘How would Stone Cold perform in this scenario?’ Every now and then I’d find myself reaching out to Stone Cold for advice: ‘From your character’s perspective, how will you manage this particular situation?’ He gave me several promo ideas for Jon Jones. I handled more of the ideation, up to the point that I didn’t even employ it. When I dialed his number, he picked up immediately, which was a bit surprising given the size and youth difference between him and me. Then he added, ‘At this very moment, I’m traversing a two-lane road marked with a yellow line down the middle. It struck me that it’s very much like Jon Jones. That yellow line symbolizing all his previous mistakes down his back.’ As he continued with his promo, I noticed it mirroring the current setting, and it served more towards making me understand what a promo was and what the audience preferred hearing.”