TUF’s Marcos Rogerio de Lima recalls Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva brawl

SAO PAULO, Brazil — The infamous fight between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva during the third season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil didn’t last long, but long enough to bring consequences.

Silva injured his back and hand in the scuffle, forcing the bout to be moved to UFC 175 on July 5 (and later cancelled due to different reasons).

Marcos Rogerio de Lima, a heavyweight from Sonnen’s TUF: Brazil team, was one of the first fighters to get closer to the coaches when the brawl initiated, and says that it changed the whole atmosphere inside the house.

“I jumped over Wanderlei and held him,” de Lima told the media in Sao Paulo. “We’re in the fighting business and we’re used to watch fights, but we’re not used with the adrenaline of a scuffle. That was terrible.”

“I worked as security for a long time and I quit because I hated dealing with the scuffles,” he continued. “After the fight, the whole show was really tense. We became closer to each other to not let that happen again. It was tense, but I’m glad that Sonnen was able to deal with it. He’s a great example of an athlete.”

de Lima was of the fighters that didn’t like Sonnen prior to the reality show, but “American Gangster” quickly changed his mind.

“We got in there with an image of Chael Sonnen, but everything changed inside the house,” he said. “He’s a good man, very loyal and friendly. I’m really thankful for everything he did for us. We became friends, and Sonnen invited everybody to train with him (in the United States). I think I’m going to California in August to train with Dan Henderson and all the coaches at Team Quest.”

“Pezao” was one of the few non-finalists of the season to earn a shot inside the Octagon at TUF: Brazil Finale 3 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 31, and he needed 20 seconds to knock Richardson Moreira out.

“It was fast. That’s what I know,” he said of the fight. “I expected a tough fight, actually. ‘Rick’ is really strong and explosive. We’re both explosive, but I landed my hand and that was it.”

After a huge win in his UFC debut, de Lima will cut 50 pounds for his next appearances inside the Octagon.

“I will return to my division now, middleweight,” he said. “I’m tired of being fat [laughs].”

SAO PAULO, Brazil — The infamous fight between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva during the third season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil didn’t last long, but long enough to bring consequences.

Silva injured his back and hand in the scuffle, forcing the bout to be moved to UFC 175 on July 5 (and later cancelled due to different reasons).

Marcos Rogerio de Lima, a heavyweight from Sonnen’s TUF: Brazil team, was one of the first fighters to get closer to the coaches when the brawl initiated, and says that it changed the whole atmosphere inside the house.

“I jumped over Wanderlei and held him,” de Lima told the media in Sao Paulo. “We’re in the fighting business and we’re used to watch fights, but we’re not used with the adrenaline of a scuffle. That was terrible.”

“I worked as security for a long time and I quit because I hated dealing with the scuffles,” he continued. “After the fight, the whole show was really tense. We became closer to each other to not let that happen again. It was tense, but I’m glad that Sonnen was able to deal with it. He’s a great example of an athlete.”

de Lima was of the fighters that didn’t like Sonnen prior to the reality show, but “American Gangster” quickly changed his mind.

“We got in there with an image of Chael Sonnen, but everything changed inside the house,” he said. “He’s a good man, very loyal and friendly. I’m really thankful for everything he did for us. We became friends, and Sonnen invited everybody to train with him (in the United States). I think I’m going to California in August to train with Dan Henderson and all the coaches at Team Quest.”

“Pezao” was one of the few non-finalists of the season to earn a shot inside the Octagon at TUF: Brazil Finale 3 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 31, and he needed 20 seconds to knock Richardson Moreira out.

“It was fast. That’s what I know,” he said of the fight. “I expected a tough fight, actually. ‘Rick’ is really strong and explosive. We’re both explosive, but I landed my hand and that was it.”

After a huge win in his UFC debut, de Lima will cut 50 pounds for his next appearances inside the Octagon.

“I will return to my division now, middleweight,” he said. “I’m tired of being fat [laughs].”