Craig Jones: “Unc Chael have a nap,” “Twice lol”

Chael Sonnen was completely outmatched as he faced jiu-jitsu extraordinaire Craig Jones at the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) 2 event on Sunday. Jones put the former UFC title challenger to sleep twice during the contest, and fans sure did have a chuckle or two at Sonnen’s peril.

Sonnen was brought in as a late replacement for Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson after the latter reportedly suffered a toe injury in training. In the match scheduled for three five-minute rounds, the MMA star was put to sleep with the same move twice.

As the bout began, Sonnen rushed to take his opponent down. The CJI founder, however, quickly locked in a buggy choke, putting his opponent’s lights out.

After the UFC Hall of Famer regained consciousness, the pair agreed to go at it again. While the 48-year-old tried to threaten Jones with a leg lock this time around, Jones once again locked in a buggy choke, sending Sonnen to sleep once more.

Following the match, fans rallied to social media to share their thoughts and opinions.

@Chazzzaaa2 wrote:

“Unc Chael have a nap.”

@breezypairu chimed in:

“Twice lol.”

@FirstRdPicks commented:

“Pretty sure he has to tap… undisputed, undefeated, and STILL.”

@JaystunnerG wrote:

“F**king Chael, he never tapped, so he is still undefeated in my book.”

Check out a few more responses below:

When Chael Sonnen explained why Craig Jones’ leg locks would work in MMA

While the rarity of leg lock submissions is decreasing in modern-day MMA, it is still not something you’d find all that frequently, leading many to wonder if a proficient jiu-jitsu fighter like Craig Jones would find success in those positions were they to cross over to mixed martial arts.

Chael Sonnen, for one, believes, if Jones succeeds in getting to a leg lock position during an MMA fight, he can easily get the win. Addressing the topic in a 2020 YouTube video, Sonnen said:

“Just picture in your mind the position of a leg lock. Your head is way over here [away from your opponent, whose] head is way over there. Your opponent could sit up and throw the world’s hardest punch, he is going to hit nothing but air. He simply cannot reach you… If you are talking about somebody who is the world’s best leg lock artist, which is Craig Jones, if he could use that in MMA, the answer would be yes [It would work]. If he can get to that position, MMA is no longer happening.”