Trainer Believes Chael Sonnen Has Fought His Last Fight

Source: The Verbal Submission

Neil Melanson, a trainer and grappling coach at Xtreme Couture who took over Chael Sonnen's camp when his head coach went down, believes Sonnen has competed for the last time. Sonnen was defeated by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva this past weekend in the main event of UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II.

Melanson took over for Scott McQuary, who suffered a heart attack during a training exercise with Sonnen. He took over the planning in the final stages for Silva and told The Verbal Submission that he believes Sonnen is finished.

"I don't know what Chael's plans are, but I got a feeling he's done fighting," Melanson said (thanks to MMAMania.com for transcribing). "I don't know. I've just got a feeling he's done. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think he was serious when he said, 'If you beat me, I will leave forever,' and there's a very good chance of that."

Sonnen refused to address any future plans during the post-fight interviews. This was the second time Sonnen has failed to defeat Silva and secure the UFC middleweight title.

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