Chael Sonnen Doubts Anderson Silva is Willing To Fight Him At UFC 117Chael Sonnen is optimistic he'll get to fight middleweight champion Anderson Silva. But he also says he's a bit worried that it won't happen.
"I don't know if Anderson's going to accept," Sonnen told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmmajunkie.com).
UFC president Dana White on Wednesday told Jim Rome that Silva and Sonnen will face off in what would be the champions's seventh consecutive title defense. But there's a twist: after another lackluster fight against Demian Maia this past Saturday, Silva (26-4 MMA, 11-0 UFC) must deliver excitement or risk being cut from the organization.
Sonnen (24-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is happy to bait the champ – again – if it gets him the fight.
"The best I've seen, [Silva is] a man of his word," Sonnen said of the proposed matchup. "If I hear that he agreed, I'll feel a lot better."
The middleweight champion is clearly on the ropes after the Maia fight, which served as the main event of UFC 112. Silva spent the first two rounds dancing around the cage and the last three in a near-constant backward shuffle.
In now trademark fashion, Sonnen said it's nothing new for Silva.
"[Silva is] really good, he's really effective, and he's as unpleasing to watch as grass growing," Sonnen said. "That's why they called me to get rid of this cancer of the company."Silva's camp declined to comment on the fight's possibility when contacted today by MMAjunkie.com.
Sonnen claims he's called out the middleweight champion for four years to no avail.
"Nobody has challenged Anderson Silva," Sonnen said. "Not one human being, not one interview. Go to what the kids call 'Google,' and prove me wrong. Show me one athlete in any weight class that's challenged this guy except me."
The West Linn, Ore., resident won a middleweight contender spot in February with a win over Nate Marquardt at UFC 109. He really perked up ears, though, when he went after Silva in the press and polarized fans with his no-nonsense talk.
"He won't even acknowledge the challenge," Sonnen said of the champion, who also holds a UFC record for most octagon wins with 11. "He just overlooks it like it's not happening. The first and only time he's ever acknowledged the challenge is on Feb. 7, 12 hours after I became the number one contender, he put out a press release stating seven different reasons he didn't think he should have to fight me."
White told Rome that Sonnen's wrestling-based style is the perfect antidote to the lackluster performances that ensue when Silva is paired with jiu-jitsu stylists.
Sonnen said it's more than that.
"What's different about me is that I acknowledge Anderson Silva's going to hit me and kick me," he said. "I acknowledge it's going to hurt a lot. But I don't care. I don't care if he hurts me. I'll go to the hospital later that night. But in that 25-minute period, he's going to be in a fight."
He said Silva's dance is just a ploy to get opponents to engage, and a ploy he's happy to follow.
"If he does it to me, it's going to work," Sonnen said. "It's going to make me angry, and I'm going to come after him. If he wants to throw those punches, by God throw them. But I'm going to walk straight through them."
A year ago, Sonnen was struggling to gain traction in the UFC after a unsuccessful run in the promotion between 2005 and 2006, but that position has changed with his recent performances.
If the fight materializes, Sonnen will work with his usual training partners at Team Quest as well as Xtreme Couture grappling coach Neil Melanson, who helped him prepare for Marquardt at UFC 109.
"He's one of those guys, you meet them very rarely but when you meet them, you hold onto them like a precious metal," Sonnen said. "He offered to help me. I don't have a lot of friends in this sport – he's one of them."
Meanwhile, Sonnen continues to campaign for the Oregon House of Representatives and is currently in a fundraising cycle. He remains no-nonsense about the biggest opportunity of his career.
"I guarantee you between now and Aug. 7, I'll get hurt," Sonnen said. "I'll get sick. I'm sure I'll get a staph infection that seems to be the new wave throughout MMA – oh, I have a staph infection, wah. When my music hits those speakers on Aug. 7, I will make that walk.
"That's a tremendous difference between me and the prima donnas who like to see their names on posters but are not real fighters."
