Back in the days of the extinct IFL, Renzo already waved MMA's banner in the USA. Photo: Publicity/Getty Images/GRACIEMAG archives

During the pre-UFC 148 open training session, Chael Sonnen left reporter Ariel Helwani all the more curious when he said Jiu-Jitsu legend Renzo Gracie had called him on the phone and set him straight, telling him, Chael, something that caused him to reflect and change his ways.

(Refresh your memory here.)

But what is it that Renzo told the challenger? GRACIEMAG.com went after the answer:

“I just told him that if he kept up that trash talking he would be taking away from the greatness of the task that he had ahead of him, he is fighting one of the best fighters of our generation, and people would lose the chance to know the real Sonnen, a great athlete who I saw young fighting hard back in the Japan days, building his career as a fierce fighter, a career that ended up turning him into one of the amazing people that populate our great sport,” Renzo said.

“I just asked him to behave with the greatness of a champion. Many fighters dream of that opportunity, to fight the best and test themselves in the toughest sport that existed. Be great, be bold, be fair, and above all be honest. Some will love you, others will hate you. But they will know who you really are. Fight this fight in a way that will be unforgettable to those who had the privilege to watch. I won’t miss a second of this great match,”, the Gracie said in conclusion.

Dana White steps between champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen at the July 3 presser. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC.

At a pre-UFC 148 open training session in Las Vegas, middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen sweat like a lion. When interviewed by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting shortly thereafter, though, Chael was back to his calm self. Too calm, as the reporter himself noted.

“I got a call from Renzo Gracie, and when you get a call from a Gracie, it’s kind of like getting a call from Randy Couture: You don’t share your opinion, you listen, and you hang up. And that’s it. … He wasn’t overly happy with me, but let’s leave it at that,” says Sonnen in the interview.

The challenger also addressed the moment the two looked about to throw down for real at the pre-event press conference on Tuesday. “To me he was trying to get disqualified to not have to fight on Saturday. It was very hard to keep a straight face when he was doing that…” said Sonnen, who has to shed around ten kilos (22 lbs) by weigh-ins today.

In the interview, Sonnen is also charmed to hear he had been spoken kindly of by Mike Tyson, despite previously targetting the former boxing world champion in his frequent diatribes.

Check out the complete interview to see what else Saturday’s headliner has to say: