BodogFight Awards $50,000 Bonus to Chael Sonnen

At its spectacular pay-per-view event on Saturday, BodogFight recognized Chael Sonnen as the viewer’s choice for favorite fighter. In a strictly fan-based voting contest, Sonnen beat out all other fighters who competed in the first season of the newest mixed martial arts (MMA) program created by billionaire Bodog.com Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre. For receiving nearly four times the number of votes than his nearest competitor, Sonnen will take home the $50,000 cash prize as the fan’s favorite fighter.

“Upon his arrival in Costa Rica, Chael made it clear that he was out to be the toughest fighter in BodogFight’s debut season,” says Calvin Ayre, whose digital empire includes the international record label, Bodog Music, which provided the soundtrack for the series. “Chael annihilated his opponent Tim Credeur inside the ring then crushed all the competitors in voting. He’s truly deserving of this honor.”

Sonnen possesses all the qualities of a warrior and was born into an accomplished sporting family in West Lynn, Oregon; his mother was a seven-time trap-shooting champion. With family support, he quickly ascended to the top level in two sports, competitive wrestling and MMA. Training with Team Quest, one of MMA’s most accomplished fighting groups, Sonnen has perfected his Vale Tudo fighting style under the watchful eyes of four-time UFC champion Randy Couture, Olympic silver-medalist Matt Lindland and Pride idol Dan Henderson. With all the necessary tools in his arsenal, Sonnen has the skill, discipline and focus to become a phenomenon in MMA. With the culmination of BodogFight’s successful first season and pay-per-view extravaganza, filming of BodogFight: St. Petersburg is now under way. In the breathtaking city of St. Petersburg, Russia, 32 of the world’s top combatants will compete for a spot in BodogFight’s second live pay-per-view event in March 2007.