Chael Sonnen and Francis Ngannou nearly fought in a parking garage

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou had an altercation in a parking garage with former fighter Chael Sonnen that nearly turned physical.  

Sonnen told the story during a segment of The Good Guy & Bad Guy podcast, and the two actually squared off with each other.  

“For the most part this is between Francis and I, but Francis and I had to be separated in a parking garage,” Sonnen explained.  “I gotta tell you, you come face-to-face with an angry Francis in a street fight situation.  So here we are.  Security breaks it up but they don’t get involved.  They’re over my shoulder.  I can hear them yelling at us but they don’t actually come over.  So now we’ve turned and squared up.

“I know the same about fighting as everybody watching this knows about fighting which is whatever your father taught you, and my dad did not tell me you have to wait to defend myself.  He told me when they’re within arms reach it has begun,” Sonnen continued.  “I don’t want this thing to jump off.  I’ve got an ego too.  I’m looking.  I’ve got these glasses.  I’m thinking about he’s going to crack me with these glasses.  

“You know the only thing that goes through my mind?  I’m thinking about a time in the sixth grade watching the late night news about a guy that walked into a bar and called out Mike Tyson and Tyson stepped outside.  Mike hit the guy one time, and the way that the news reporter reported it back when I was in the sixth grade is that he shattered the guy’s face.  I don’t know what a shattered face is, but that can not be good.  I’m literally hearing that report as I’m squared up with Francis.  And I’m doing the match too.  And I’ve got an ego too.  You ducked Jon Jones.  I’ll fight Jon right now and I might have to fight you right now.  This is going through my mind.”

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With the situation reaching a point of no return, the presence of Sonnen’s son defused the situation.

“My is about twelve feet away.  He’s in a pair of gloves that Nate Diaz had given him.  It was the Nate Diaz versus Jake Paul.  Nate had given him a pair of gloves, so my son over.  He’s shadow boxing.  Francis doesn’t know he’s there.  I said, ‘Francis, not now,’ and he let’s me know this is happening now.  I’ve been looking for you for awhile,” Sonnen said.  

“I took my hand and I did like this to my son (motioning with his hand) and I said, ‘Not in front of my son.’  Francis looks over and sees my son.  Not a word did he say.  Respect.  He understood the code.  He dropped it right there.  That was a gentleman move by him.  I look at him differently after that.”