Sonnen is Rome’s 2012 King of Smack

Chael Sonnen used his art of smacktalk to compete in sports radio personality Jim Rome’s annual “Smackoff.” The annual contest held this past Friday on Jim Rome’s nationally syndicated radio show features Rome’s listeners calling in to determine who has the best “smack”.

Sonnen became one of the few celebrities to appear as a contestant. The purpose of the show is to determine the show’s best caller. Jim Harbaugh, Tom Tolbert and Jay Mohr have also appeared. Rome has a nationally syndicated radio program with over 200 affiliates in the US, Canada, online and touts 2 million listeners. He has amassed a cult following and the “Smackoff” is a spinoff of the popularity.

Rome was an early convert to the UFC and has had many stars on as guests including Dana White, BJ Penn and Sonnen. Sonnen’s smack talk didn’t focus on Anderson Silva or anyone in the UFC but on other sports including the NFL, NBA and NASCAR.

Payout Perspective:

The contest is subjective as there is no fan vote or poll but is up to Rome and his crew. Rome has monetized this contest so that there are sponsors. Last year, it included a UFC-themed gift package. No word on whether Sonnen gets a prize for winning.  Since the UFC has bought radio time on Rome’s show, one could argue that Sonnen should be disqualified. But, winning the contest is beside the point here.

The underlying value of Sonnen appearing on the show is that Rome promoted his July 7th fight prior to his appearance. It also helps get Sonnen out there to Rome’s 2 million listeners on a day in which a high volume of Rome fans tune in to hear the smack talk. Sonnen’s smack talk amounted to a preview of the hype leading to what the UFC hopes to be the fight of the year. Expect more from the reigning king of smack leading up to July 7.