Former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva is no fan of “The American Gangster,” Chael Sonnen, and he made that abundantly clear when speaking with Sherdog on Thursday.
“The Axe Murderer” said that he doesn’t expect UFC light heavyweight title holder Jon Jones to have any trouble when he defends his title against Sonnen at UFC 159 in April. He, however, did not phrase it so nicely:
“It was a fight I wanted to see; [but] Jones will swallow Sonnen. I spoke with Jones and told him that he can win the fight only with jabs, with one hand tied behind his back. The only person who can beat Jones today is Anderson [Silva].”
“Uncle Chael” will unquestionably be a huge underdog against the dominant champion, as “Bones” is riding an eight-fight win streak that includes seven finishes and four successful title defenses.
A win over Sonnen would tie Jones with UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz for the most consecutive title defenses (five) at light heavyweight under the UFC banner.
This particular 205-pound title fight has drawn a fair share of criticism, considering that Sonnen has not competed at that weight since getting submitted by Renato Sobral at UFC 55 in Oct. 2005.
The Team Quest standout also suffered a knockout loss at the hands of arch rival/UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva at UFC 148 this past July in his most recent bout.
As for Wanderlei Silva, the tremendous fan favorite is at the tail end of an illustrious career, coming up short in seven of his past 10 bouts.
Nevertheless, the Brazilian brawler still feels he has something to prove, as he will compete against middleweight contender Brian Stann in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 8 in March.
Worth noting is that this fight will be contested at light heavyweight.
Is Wanderlei Silva spot on in stating that Jones can defeat Sonnen anyway, as well as anytime,he wants, or is Sonnen being seriously underestimated and primed for a big upset?
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