Put on your tux and hide your inner-child: Chael Sonnen is the emcee for the evening.
Officials today announced that the onetime middleweight challenger and provocateur extraordinaire will host the 2011 World MMA Awards on Nov. 30.
Additionally, "Fighters Only," which organizes the awards, announced a new broadcast deal with FOX that will put the ceremony on FOX Sports Net and later on FUEL TV.
According to today's release, the show, which takes place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, will air in prime-time slots on the FSN network of affiliates, and it'll re-air on FUEL TV and FSN at dates to be announced.
Molly Querim returns this year as co-host.
Earlier this month Sonnen made a triumphant return to the cage with a second-round submission victory over Brian Stann at UFC 136. The fighter, who is no stranger to the spotlight, campaigned for a second fight with middleweight champ Anderson Silva with his post-fight speech.
Tickets for the 2011 World MMA Awards go on sale today and range from $55 to $95. They can be purchased through Ticketmaster beginning at 3 p.m. ET (noon PT).
The World MMA Awards, operated by "Fighters Only" magazine, were created in 2008 to recognize and celebrate the achievements of people who make MMA such a great sport. The Nov. 30 event is a black-tie, red-carpet ceremony.
MMAjunkie.com is nominated in the "Media Source of the Year" category. Additionally, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter and MMAjunkie.com Radio co-host John Morgan is a finalist in the "MMA Journalist of the Year" category.
All winners are determined by a fan vote, and ballots can be cast now through Nov. 25 at www.worldmmaawards.com. An iPhone app also is available to cast ballots.
Source: Chael Sonnen to host 2011 World MMA Awards, ceremony airs on FSN and FUEL TV
