Chael Sonnen paid Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wizard Vinny Magalhaes double the amount in his quest to dethrone reigning 185-pound titlist Anderson Silva in their upcoming grudge match at UFC 148.
From Magalhaes, originally reported by Fightlinker.com:
I don’t want to talk about amounts, because my management was the one dealing with the whole money situation. But he did pay more than my management asked. We asked for a certain amount, and he came up with much more. We asked for an amount for two weeks of training, and he came up with an amount which would’ve entitled him to four weeks of training. So how can I not respect the guy? He paid me double. On Chael’s check … you know how they have a line for what the check is for? He wrote ‘Defeat Silva.’ So I kept a copy, because I thought that was pretty funny.
“Uncle Chael’s” main objective in enlisting the services of Magalhaes was to shore up his submission defense.
Back at UFC 117, the Oregon native was on the brink of wresting the title for Silva’s grasp only to fall victim to a triangle-armbar submission in the latter stages of the final frame.
That said, throughout his MMA career, Sonnen, a former NCAA Division-l standout, has been overly susceptible to the art of Jiu-jitsu—of the 11 losses on his record, eight have come via submission.
Apropos, Magalhaes, the former UFC resident and M-I champion, has come under fire from his fellow countrymen for consorting with the enemy, so much so that he has now been deemed a traitor.
However, the 28-year-old Vegas inhabitant was quick to point out that training Sonnen was strictly business and he has nothing personal against the Sao Paulo-born Silva.
UFC 148 is scheduled for July 7, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
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