UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has plenty of legal negatives in his past, and he comes up against a talk radio interview who knows all about them and doesn’t waste any time asking about them. Sonnen took the bait and got into a verbal battle with the interviewer, a fight there is no way possible he could win. Media interviewers, those interviewing you for a job, and let’s not forget those in the audience who have a chance to ask you a question at a convention or public meeting, all are looking to bait you into saying something interesting and controversial. It is your job to recognize the question, the intent, and react swiftly to defuse it. Do NOT take the bait, something we teach in every single program. There’s a way to do this and come out on top, keeping your positive image and never letting someone else “see you sweat”. Sonnen  failed here, and then compounded it by hanging up onthe interview. The national media mocked him, and the interviewer received days of free publicity.

INTELLIGENCE: LEARN TO RECOGNIZE SOMEONE BAITING YOU FOR AN ANSWER THEY WANT. THEN GIVE THEM THE ANSWER YOU WANT

Chael Sonnen & Canzano spar on the BFT

Chael Sonnen/UFC

June 27, 2012, 5:28 pm

Chael Sonnen joined host John Canzano on the Bald Face Truth to talk about Sonnen’s big UFC rematch with Anderson Silva in Las Vegas on July 7th. It’s been two years since Sonnen tapped out vs. Silva in a middleweight title bout.

Canzano asks Sonnen about becoming a restaurant owner, his training for Silva, and the disappointment of losing a fight he had won two years ago. Canzano and Sonnen talk about UFC, the difficulty in getting a rematch with Silva and pizza for nearly six minutes.

Then…

The radio interview goes sideways when Canzano asks Sonnen about being suspended after testing positive for testosterone in 2010, and Sonnen’s guilty plea in 2011 to a money laundering charge in connection with a mortgage fraud investigation.

Sonnen was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for elevated levels of testosterone following his initial fight with Silva. A year later, Sonnen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years probation, a $10,000 fine and loss of real estate license after taking part in a scheme to illegally net more than $69,000 in loan proceeds through the submission of a falsified repair order, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

Listen as Portland’s No. 1 sports journalist spars with the UFC contender in an interview that ends with Sonnen hanging up.

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