Anderson Silva has some advice for his next opponent: Stop talking about me, and start training for me.
That opponent, Chael Sonnen, has hurled relentless trash talk in Silva’s direction for years, and Silva has largely brushed it off. But with Silva and Sonnen set to square off this summer in Silva’s native Brazil, Silva may have finally reached the point where he feels the need to talk back to Sonnen.
Silva told Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight that he believes Sonnen would be wise to keep his mouth shut and get to work on training.
“Chael talks too much,” Silva said. “Chael needs to train. No more talk, train. Going to Brazil? Big problem.”
Silva gave the interview in English, perhaps another sign that he’s hoping to match Sonnen’s talk before matching up with him inside the Octagon. But Silva also said that Sonnen isn’t going to get under his skin.
“I don’t care about Chael Sonnen,” Silva said.
Silva and Sonnen originally fought on August 7, 2010, with Sonnen winning the first four rounds before Silva made him tap in the fifth. Their long-awaited rematch will be one of the UFC’s biggest fights of 2012.