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The closest
Wanderlei Silva and
Chael Sonnen came to fighting was a scuffle on the set of
TUF Brazil 3. Their attempts to meet in The Octagon scuppered by doping violations for both men. But after typically outspoken comments about the Brazilian by Sonnen, it seems Silva is keen to finally get it on.
There was something obviously manufactured about the conflict between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen. Sonnen's arrogant schtick bumped up against the Brazilian's ferocious defence of his country with threats of destruction should they ever actually clash. Even their fight on set had the odour of pre-arrangement about it.
With both men in their late 30s and getting suspended for PED use, it seemed that they would never actually meet under the unified rules. However, with Sonnen's ban almost up, and Silva set to compete at the RIZIN openweight tournament, it's possible that a recent trade of barbs could be the pre-text to a future bout.
Initially, it was comments about Silva by the American on
The MMA Show, which irked 'The Axe Murderer'. Sonnen claimed Silva had refused to participate in TUF unless he apologised for insults directed at Brazil. He then said that he showed him his bank balance and said, “do you really think that you should be giving me advice, or should you just come along for the ride and let me take it from here?”
Understandably riled by the suggestion, the former PRIDE Champion rebutted the claim and invited his old foe to settle their differences once and for all. As per a statement on his facebook page:
“He comes here and tells a story that didn’t happen.
“When the show started, my first act was to tell him ‘turn to the camera and apologize for everything you said about this country or I won’t work with you’. And he said ‘I won’t apologize, I really think this is a sh***y country, and I won’t apologize’.
“I left, and started talking to the production when my coach, Rafael Cordeiro, came to me and said: ‘Wanderlei, here’s the deal, you will be able to answer this guy the way you like, inside the ring. You will beat him up. Go back and do the show not for him, but for the athletes’. I respect my master, and I said ‘master, you’re right’. And he comes and says he showed me his bank account. What is this?”
...“When your archrival is talking trash, that’s one of the things that motivate you the most. I challenge you. If you can’t fight MMA, I challenge Sonnen to do any type of fight that involves punches in the face. If you want it, come get it.”
Sonnen has previously said he has no plans to return to fighting, but with his suspension up in a few months, it's a battle that would doubtless be a huge television draw.
*Quotes translated by mmafighting.com
