(Chael Sonnen posing with his favorite fake belt in front of his favorite fake backdrop.)
The UFC announced this week that middleweight champion Anderson Silva‘s highly anticipated rematch with #1 contender/doper/inspirational author/felon/snitch Chael Sonnen is to take place June 23rd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But when our friends at MMA Fighting asked Mr. Sonnen for comment on the announcement, he claimed to have not signed a bout agreement.
“My demand has not been met…I’ve signed nothing,” he told them.
It seems likely that while his actual signing is a formality at this point, the media-savvy Sonnen is trying to add some drama and comedy to the situation. Through his twitter account, Sonnen reiterated that he had one demand that needed to be met before he signed on to fight Silva, and that he would only “declare” it to television talk show host Jim Rome.
Well, UFC President Dana White is here to squash/capitalize on Chael’s nonsense once more. “The fight is happening. He has accepted the fight, and he will be with me in Brazil for the press conference down there,” MMA Weekly reports White as saying.
Not only will the rematch happen, it will happen surrounded by what the UFC hopes will be its largest gate ever. No doubt the soccer stadium will be filled with rabid Chael Sonnen fans sworn enemies.
As to what Sonnen’s one demand for the Silva match could be, the options seem endless. Win by pin? No submissions allowed? Whatever happens in the final two minutes of the fight doesn’t count? Nothing he does or says during the fight can be held against him in a court of law for whatever felony he is next indicted for? If he gets caught in something during the fight at any point he can testify against others to avoid more serious trouble?
What do you think Sonnen’s one demand will be, ‘taters?