There are two Chael Sonnens who exist in the realm of MMA occupying the same body. There’s one I genuinely like watching … and then this other version of him that was interesting for a short while but has played itself out more significantly than Sacha Baron Cohen trying to put together a sequel to “Borat.” Both of them come out early and often in Sonnen’s new book, “The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment,” a short but fairly unremarkable novel.
One side of the Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling alternate is great fighter who has fashioned himself into the agent-provocateur of the sport, a guy who can and will say anything to get a reaction. Sycophants talk about how big of a draw that guy is when in reality the numbers are a lot more deceiving. Sonnen may get hits, and inflame MMA hardcores and media members alike, but the reality is that this first version of Chael P Sonnen is a loudmouth who casual fans ignore on a regular basis. More people paid to see Anderson Silva knockout Vitor Belfort, amongst others, then they paid to see Sonnen nearly defeat the champion in what was labeled by many as one of the best fights of all time at UFC 117. That guy may move the needle on internet traffic but doesn’t quite do so elsewhere.
On the other side is the Chael P Sonnen that many fans don’t tune into: Chael the pragmatic, honest MMA analyst. For those who never saw him on ESPN’s MMA Live, or on UFC Insider, Sonnen has a tremendous approach to looking at and evaluating the sport he makes a living from. If there was never this brash, unapologetic Sonnen that turned off as many fans as he turned on then he’d be recognized in the same way that Brian Stann is: as an eloquent ambassador of sport. This is the guy I personally enjoy the most; Sonnen has such a unique and interesting take on MMA and all the hoopla surrounding it that it provides a fairly interesting perspective. That guy may not move the needle but he’s the kind of fighter cum analyst the sport needs.
Coupled with his ultimately failed political run and his fairly nuanced take, the latter Sonnen comes through for most of the book’s fairly short length. This isn’t a complex or in-depth novel; at 224 pages it’s a fairly quick and easy read. And it gives us both sides of the middleweight contender that fans have comes to known: Chael the showman and Chael the man.
The man’s a lot more interesting to read about because Sonnen can’t embellish a story or leave some sort of embossed tale about an opponent. When he’s discussing fighter pay, the costs of a major fight from his perspective and the trials of training there’s something honest about it that all his promotional pieces and smack talk don’t hit to. He has a tough life as a fighter and he doesn’t mince words on the highs, and lows, of the sport at its highest levels. Whenever he discusses his sport from his personal perspective there’s a rawness to it that’s almost shocking. Even amusing pieces, like his discussion of entrance music and guys creating characters to play (he lists Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone as one), ends up becoming page-turning material because of his frankness about it. Sonnen is a fairly gifted story-teller in that regard.
As he discusses how he got into amateur wrestling, how hard he worked to become as good as he is and his experiences in wrestling rooms over the years there’s something deep about it that offers a genuine connection to a man who frankly doesn’t have much genuine persona to harness. When the showman is out you roll your eyes and laugh; when the man is out you pay attention because there’s something thoughtful coming out. It’s akin to his smack talk before the Michael Bisping fight on Fox and before the Brian Stann fight. He was his usual self against Bisping, of course, but during the Stann buildup there was something genuine about how he discussed his friendship with Stann and about how about how Stann’s bravery in combat made intimidating him fairly difficult. Even when he discusses his politics, to which he leans unabashedly conservative, there’s a genuineness to it that is less provocative and more insightful.
The problem is that Chael the showman and wannabe comedian pops out regularly enough to kill the genuine intrigue the book has to offer. When he’s discussing the origins of (and applications to MMA therein) of traditional martial arts it becomes less funny and more obnoxious to read him discuss what he obviously doesn’t care all that much for. It’s akin to watching Cohen trolling America once again as Kazakhstan’s most famous reporter: we’ve seen so much of it that there’s nothing new to say. There’s no new realm to shock; just new ways of saying the same things he’s been saying for quite a while now. He once said that getting a black belt from the Nogueira brothers was like “getting a toy in your Happy Meal” and there’s nothing that’s nearly as creative or insulting as that piece was several years ago.
“The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment” is a strong seller so far because Chael Sonnen has been fairly good at self-promotion for some time. But it’s not a great book, nor is it that much of a good one. It’s a quick read, and priced well, but not essential reading material.
