Update: Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva To Headline Fox Sports 1 Card
Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva have once again had their long anticipated fight moved; this time the news is that the bout has been scratched from UFC 173. The two were originally linked to the UFC 167 before Silva disputed the PPV deal, and the bout was set as a co-main for UFC 173.
173 goes down on May 24 and will be headlined by the Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort title tilt. The UFC announced today that the showdown between Silva and Sonnen will be the main event of a show on May 31, in Brazil. It seems that Wanderlei Silva will now have the home field advantage.
The venue and location is yet to be announced, and I’m assuming that it will be a Fight Night card. Does this have much of a bearing on the match up itself? A week’s delay isn’t too much of a big deal, but Sonnen might have something to say about travelling down south to the Brazilian heat.
The recent brawl on the set of TUF Brasil probably didn’t do much for Sonnen’s image in South America, and he is already the bad guy following his multiple tirades about Brazilian fighters and fans. ‘The American Gangster’ got back to losing ways with his first round TKO loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 167, but remains on the UFC’s good side as a company figure.
Sonnen is 1-4 since 2012, his only win a submission over Shogun Rua, but the back-story for this fight will hopefully bring out the best fighter in the Oregon native. I’m not really interested in seeing the Chael P that showed up to fight Jon Jones or Rashad Evans, because it would just mean him being routinely walked through by Silva.
With the beef between these two heating up by the minute, it would be a great boost to the fight if both guys are on point. Sonnen better have his mental game down, because ‘The Axe Murderer’ will feed off the home crowd.
update
The UFC have recently confirmed that Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen will headline a Fox Sports 1 event on May 31, the exact location is yet to be determined.
