While UFC 117 is still more than four weeks away, the build-up for the
main event of the Aug. 7 card in Oakland, Calif., has already reached
epic proportions.
Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen started his
trash-talk campaign in April when he professed his doubt that champion
Anderson Silva would even have the courage to sign a
bout agreement for the event, and he’s since questioned everything from
Silva’s manhood to the credentials of his training partners.
Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, said he doesn’t
take offense at Sonnen’s attacks, even though he’s been targeted in some
of the tirades. Instead, Soares simply hopes Sonnen is training with
the same intensity he’s talking.