At this point, it doesn’t look like the long-awaited grudge match between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva will take place at the first UFC on FOX Sports 1 card in August.
However, don’t automatically assume that “The Axe Murderer” no longer has the notorious American trash talker in his crosshairs.
Speaking with Brazil’s SporTV, translation via MMA Mania, Silva said that he wants to square off with Sonnen in December in front of his Brazilian home crowd.
“I will not fight in Boston, that’s right. Sonnen still [has] not been officially proposed, no one called me offering to fight. Is it interesting? Yes, very. But if it is held, will be after Boston. Before, or in Boston, no. Now, in Brazil would be a dream. I think he’d even have to wear armor and earplug to walk there. A fight against Sonnen in Brazil would be very interesting. My last in the country was in Belo Horizonte, and the audience was wonderful, was very well received. I had a week of king, did fight of the night … It was a very good experience. Fight with Sonnen is good for any event. I’m ready for December, in the year-end event.”
The former PRIDE star also mentions that he would like some time off since he had a busy year between filming “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” and winning out a slugfest with Brian Stann at UFC on FUEL 8 in March.
Sonnen is coming off back-to-back title losses to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones, respectively, but that didn’t stop him from calling out Wanderlei just days after getting decimated by “Bones.”
“The American Gangster” later put forth a Twitter challenge for Silva that was null in void after 24 hours, but the Brazilian did not accept until well after that time frame had passed, via MMA Junkie.
Last week, the UFC confirmed a heavyweight showdown for UFC on FOX Sports 1 between Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne, though that fight will not be the main event of the evening, according to MMA Junkie.
Would Sonnen vs. Wanderlei still be appealing to the fans by the end of the year, or would the ongoing feud lose its luster by then?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
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