Chael Sonnen is renowned for his trash-talking and comedic persona, but every now and then he get’s real and decides to give the fans a little insight into his life. He recently uploaded the above video where he answers a question that he says he’s been asked countless times and I’d believe him, it’s one of the most common questions that any fighters get asked: Who hit you harder than anyone else?

Chael Sonnen has a record littered with some of the best fighters of his era and there’s plenty to choose from, including some of the most devastating strikers to ever step foot in the cage like Anderson Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto Machida and Wanderlei Silva. It’s more than a little surprising then that according to Uncle Chael himself, the hardest he’s ever been hit with came courtesy of…

Demian Maia.

That’s right, the BJJ black belt and submission specialist, Demian Maia apparently hurt Chael more than anyone else has before and since. Sonnen says that the strike itself came when he was actually in Maia’s guard and he reached over for a Kimura/Hip-Bump movement before landing a backhand directly to Sonnen’s Jaw. Sonnen does make the distinction though that the hardest shots imaginable actually numb you because you’re rocked from the moment they land so fighters who strike the hardest, actually cause less pain in the moment that they land strikes.

Sonnen also goes onto explain the tightest submission that he’s ever been put in came against Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira in a grappling match at ADCC 2001, where Cacereco finished Sonnen with a Guillotine Choke. While he’s always been a skilled grappler, Sonnen has also started to give back to the sport (and no doubt make a little money doing it) by creating the fantastic promotion, Submission Underground.

Submission Underground 13 is set to take place on April 26th.

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