Chael Sonnen turned down $5 million contract from WWE and never told UFC boss Dana White

Chael Sonnen was in demand.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight (and light heavyweight) title contender, perhaps best known for his pre- and post-fight theatrics, claims professional wrestling powerhouse WWE offered him a $5 million contract to abandon his post at ZUFFA and join the dark side.

An offer he told his podcast listeners (via MMA Fighting) was promptly denied.

"Here's the nuts and bolts of it: I was offered $5 million by [WWE promoter] Vince McMahon. Now, I was still under contract with the UFC and I never took this to Dana. I handled it on my own. I told [WWE], 'No' and that was the end of that. I never told Dana White this story, but here's why I didn't tell him. I knew if I called Dana and said, 'I've got a $5 million offer from Vince McMahon,' Dana would have matched it. Dana would have come close and now all of a sudden I'm not a loyal employee. I'm not loyal to the UFC. I'm shopping them and I'm being loyal to myself. That's business. That's how that works and I don't think anyone would have had hard feelings but I didn't see myself that way."

Good thing UFC President Dana White didn't catch wind of that offer, or he might have actually followed through with this.

Sonnen stuck around to continue his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, which unfortunately ended on a sour note. After failing a pre-fight drug test earlier this year, the former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) coach was forced to resign from both UFC and FOX Sports.

Not that it stopped him from retiring undefeated.