Chael Sonnen: I Want A Third Fight Against Anderson Silva
Longtime MMA veteran Chael Sonnen may have incited the most heated rivalry in MMA history when he nearly took longtime middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s title at UFC 117 in August 2010.
But “The American Gangster” was submitted by a fifth round Hail Mary triangle choke from “The Spider” in one of the greatest UFC bouts ever aired. Sonnen was found to have T:E levels of over 16:1 after the fight, so he never would have had the belt in the first place.
After working his way back up the ladder with wins over Brian Stann and Michael Bisping, “Uncle Chael” got his second chance to face Silva two years later at UFC 148. This time is wasn’t nearly as close. Despite Sonnen completely dominating the first round with his vaunted wrestling, he was eventually put away in the second frame with a vicious knee to the solar plexus.
Sonnen is down 0-2 to “The Spider,” who is famously on the sidelines rapidly recovering from a gruesome broken leg suffered at UFC 168 last December. And while Sonnen is currently involved in a feud with bitter rival Wanderlei Silva on TUF: Brazil 3, “The Axe Murderer” has yet to sign on to fight Sonnen.
It appears that Chael P. is shifting his back on Silva anyway, telling Globo (via Bloody Elbow) that he wants a trilogy match once “The Spider” returns to the cage:
“I want to have a third fight (against Anderson). I still want to beat him for some source of competition. I also want to face Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. I don’t wish them a bad life but in a fight I can’t step back and I have to punch their faces. There is a expression in America that says: if want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.”
There’s no set timetable for Silva’s return, and “The American Gangster” lost a lot of his relevancy after getting completely worked by Jon Jones and Rashad Evans after moving back up to light heavyweight last year. There’s not much interest in a third Silva vs. Sonnen match-up, not unless Sonnen goes on a serious tear and Silva returns or several more bouts.
But Silva’s bouts will most likely be big ones, fights that are relevant to the currently stacked UFC middleweight title picture. After all, “The Spider” is still ranked No. 1 at 185 pounds.
However, the bout with Silva will probably happen (it better), and no one quite knows what Vitor Belfort is going to do after TRT was outlawed.
It sounds like Sonnen wants to continue his rivalry against all Brazilian fighters in UFC. But does anyone care enough for the UFC to make them happen?
I’d say Silva and Belfort are much bigger draws than Sonnen at this point. What do you think?
