Chael Sonnen channeled his inner Daton Fix with two inside trips en route to defeating Rampage Jackson at Bellator 192 at The Forum in Inglewood, CA, on Saturday night.

The event was headlined by the opening bout of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix between Sonnen and Jackson, and Rampage entered with a 31-pound advantage. Sonnen opened up the bout faking a takedown and following with an overhand left that continued to find its home early. The two men eventually clinched before Rampage threw Sonnen to the mat and allowed the fight to get back to its feet. 

After getting the better of the striking throughout the opening frame, Sonnen closed out the round with a takedown. He transitioned to Rampage’s back and threatened with a rear-naked choke before transitioning to a guillotine as the buzzer sounded. 

Sonnen put the pressure back on Rampage in the second round, controlling the clinch against the fence before landing his second takedown of the fight. Sonnen was dominating the fight from top position and temporarily threatened with an Americana. 

“The American Gangster” once again wrestled his way to the end of the round. In the final round, there was more clinch work against the fence before Sonnen danced around on the outside to avoid Rampage’s strikes.

A visibly frustrated Rampage was urging Sonnen to engage, which ended with a takedown as 60 seconds remained on the clock. The fight ended with Sonnen avoiding any damage in the fight. 

Sonnen earned the unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

He advances to face the winner of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Frank Mir — which takes place in Chicago in April — in the semifinals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix.