Miami Heat forward LeBron James is Chael Sonnen’s new target. Photo: Keith Alison

Yes, we know 90 percent of 36-year-old Chael Sonnen’s statements are made to get him some publicity.

But we admit we got reeled in by him again. After all, this time he’s shooting at someone totally unexpected. Not an MMA athlete at all, but instead the current king of basketball.

Sonnen, who has a fight vs. Mauricio Shogun scheduled for August 17, now lashes out at LeBron James, the Miami Heat star and MVP of the finals.

The American wrestler told Bleacher Report where the grudge comes from, calling James a dork. “Let me tell you a story about LeBron. He asked the UFC for tickets for my fight against Anderson Silva. We sit the guy front-row, and all through the night he snubs our fans. He’s a guest in our house and he refuses to sign any autographs or take any pictures unless your cup size was later in the alphabet than he was able to learn,” said Sonnen, who even accuses James of coming on to his wife. “I had a UFC employee tell me he saw a mother wheel her handicapped child up to him to get a picture. LeBron was walking towards them. When he
reached the kid, the mother stopped the wheelchair. LeBron took the wheelchair, wheeled it out of the way and kept walking.”

“I’d like to slap the divots right off his face,” he provoked.

What do you think, reader? Is Sonnen a raving lunatic, or does he have a case here in calling out LeBron?

UFC on Fox Sports 1
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
August 17, 2013

Mauricio Rua vs.Chael Sonnen
Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne
Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara
Matt Brown vs. Thiago Alves
Uriah Hall vs. Nick Ring
Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson

Undercard

Brad Pickett vs. Michael McDonald
Andy Ogle vs. Conor McGregor
Mike Brown vs. Akira Corassani
Diego Brandão vs. Daniel Pineda

Undercard (Facebook)

Manvel Gamburyan vs. Cole Miller
Cody Donovan vs. Ovince St. Preux
Ramsey Nijem vs. James Vick

For more UFC and MMA coverage,
visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

*Screenshot of Liddell punching a cardboard cutout of Howard via SportsNation

LeBron flying high: the best player of the NBA finals shared precious lessons on winning in life. Photo: Keith Alison/publicity.

After nine seasons in the NBA, the masterful LeBron James finally got his hands on the trophy for winning the world’s premier basketball competition with his team, the Miami Heat. With the Valente brothers, Jiu-Jitsu professors invited to celebrate winning the title, in attendance, the 27-year-old superstar has some interesting points to teach on persevering, making adjustments and achieving victory.

1. ELIMINATE WHIMS

Young and full of fun, LeBron and his teammates at Miami Heat had been accused of losing last season’s title by losing focus, provoking the Dallas Mavericks’s towering power forward Dirk Nowitski. This year, LeBron didn’t want to hear about any horsing around, controversy or superfluous gestures. He even took a break from Twitter, limiting himself to reading between games, and with his concentration heightened, he drubbed the Oklahoma City Thunders by four games to one, putting in superb performances while at it.

2. LOVE WHAT YOU DO

The gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics said that the pressure to come up with a title threw him off the right track. “I started playing to prove something to the critics; I played with anger. But that doesn’t work. I always played for the love of it before. I started playing with passion and my game flowed,” he said, while still on court.

3. MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS

LeBron said that when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to be part of an experienced team in Miami it was one of the most difficult decisions he’d ever made. Whether you agree with what he did or not, take to heart that the life of an athlete/fighter is littered with difficult decisions,uncomfortable conversations and situations none too pleasant. Don’t let them accumulate; make a decision.

4. NO TO SELFISHNESS

LeBron admitted that the provocation that bothered him most to this day was being called “selfish” while playing a team sport. Fighting is an individual sport, but it’ not an individualist one. A selfish athlete or person is incapable of working for the team and personal and technical development of their colleagues. By being so, everyone will eventually end up sinking together.

Everybody loves them. But don’t be fooled, a sporting contest is won on defense.

To come, GRACIEMAG, the website that most prizes self-defense on the planet, pays tribute to some of the sport’s monster defenders. Which is the best defensive display from the selection below?

Rodolfo Rodriguez, Santos goalkeeper (Campeonato Paulista 1984)

Roger Gracie and Marcelinho Garcia, fighters (Worlds 2004)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3hfXYoshzk

New Orleans Saints, NFL team (Super Bowl 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3L09liVopc

Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls forward (from 1987 to 1998)

Yuki Nakai, fighter (Vale-Tudo Japan Open 1995)