Monday Morning Hangover: Chael Sonnen now 0-3 in UFC title fights

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC 159 blew the roof off the Prudential Center last Saturday night (April 27, 2013) in Newark, New Jersey.

Many combatants were left licking their wounds after a wild night of fights including Cheick Kongo, who was knocked out cold in less than two minutes by the heavy-handed Roy Nelson (read about it here). And Alan Belcher, who failed to walk the walk after talking the talk against Michael Bisping (watch it unfold here).

But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now two days removed?

Chael Sonnen.

It wasn't exactly a replay of Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos 2, but Jon Jones was able to smother and flat out dominate "The American Gangster" in their light heavyweight title fight (catch the highlights here). There was no feeling out process as Jones and Sonnen met at the center of the Octagon and Jones proceeded to have his way with the former two-time No. 1 middleweight contender, taking the ex-NCAA Division 1 All-American wrestler down at will.

Not even a broken toe was able to stop Jones from tying Tito Ortiz's division record, as he unloaded a a barrage of razor-sharp and nose-splitting elbows -- which mirrored the ground-and-pound attack of a prime "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" -- for his fifth straight title defense.

Three strikes, you're out.

In losing, Sonnen failed to capture Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold in his third and possibly final bid as "Bones" proved that "the most dangerous fight is the one you're supposed to win," is just a bunch of words put together that really have no meaning.

So, what went wrong for Sonnen?

Jon Jones did.

"Bones" is simply a much better and more well rounded mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter than the mouthy Republican, and about 99-percent of the fighters out there, too. It seemed as if Sonnen wouldn't go down without a fight, throwing and landing some punches from the bottom and clinch position for the first few minutes.

But Jon was simply too big and too powerful for the former 185-pound fighter. He was able walk right through Sonnen and proved the MMA world right, showing that Chael -- though he talked a good game -- never deserved to cut in front of the 205-pound line in the first place.

Who should Sonnen fight next?

Well, nobody.

"The American Gangster" alluded to possible retirement after the loss, seeing as how he is now 0-3 in championship fights under the UFC umbrella, declaring he's "not going to be one of these guys to hang around if there is not a road to the title."

But, should Chael P. decide to hang around in the light heavyweight division, I'd like to see him take on Forrest Griffin.

The two were scheduled to initially fight at UFC 155 before Sonnen was yanked and given a puzzling title shot. The original "Ultimate Fighter" is still rehabbing from an ACL and MCL injury, but should be ready to go by the end of the year.

That should give Sonnen plenty of time to mull over his fighting future.