Baker Steps in to Face Sonnen on March 26th

By Thomas Gerbasi

Unbeaten in six fights, West Covina, California’s Bryan “The Beast” Baker will take his biggest step up as a pro on Wednesday, March 26th, when he faces former middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen in a pivotal 185-pound matchup at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The bout will be televised on VERSUS (9pm ET / 6pm PT) as part of the action-packed card featuring the WEC light heavyweight championship clash between Doug Marshall and Brian Stann.

Baker (6-0) stormed onto the WEC scene in 2007, stopping UFC vet Jesse Forbes in a single round in September and decisioning Eric Schambari in December. Now he’ll be up against Sonnen (21-9-1), a seasoned veteran who has fought against the sport has to offer. In the Oregonian’s last bout on December 12, 2007, he put up a gallant effort against WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho before a controversial submission put an end to his night in the second round.

Sonnen was scheduled to face Filho in a rematch on March 26th, but the champion pulled out of the bout to voluntarily enter a rehabilitation facility in Brazil last week. Now Baker will look to put a dent in Sonnen’s dreams of redemption by taking him out on next week.